Missing home...a little

The day to day part of life can really keep us busy. So much so that you think you forget about a lot of things. For me, the busy part of work and travel and wandering around a new city help to keep my mind off of missing home. But sometimes things sneak up on me when I least expect them to.

Yesterday I got a package from my brother with some fun things in them. One of which really reminded me of our childhood and some fun memories. And today, I got a package from Alan. It had a cookbook and a bunch of notes from our friends. Apparently he took a notepad to the coffee shop and had each of our friends who stopped in that morning write a note. Some were funny and some had drawings and some just said hello. Mostly I was able to capture a little bit of each personality from them just as if we were sitting around sharing a cup of coffee.

I just re-read them along with looking at the things my brother sent me and got a little sad. Part of me is sad that I'm not at home to hang out with everybody but part of me is feeling really lucky that I have such great family who keep my mailbox full and friends who do the same and other friends who send emails and others who draw fun maps and pictures for me. I knew going into this experience that I would have times where I'd get lonely and miss home but I didn't realize just how loved I could feel being so far away from everybody. It is a pretty amazing feeling to have and I truly thank everybody for it.

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Etiquette through rap

I heard my first Singapore rap today while I was standing in the MRT (subway) waiting for the train to come. A very nice lady come on over the loudspeaker and very politely told us that eating and drinking in the station was not allowed. I have never heard announcements in the MRT before so thought it a bit odd...but then I figured that she must have seen somebody on the surveillance camera. As soon as her announcement ended some music started to play. A few seconds later I realized it was somebody with a very strong Asian accent rapping something about proper MRT etiquette. Through the entertainment of an interesting rap song I learned that you are supposed to let others off before you try and get on...also, let elders and pregnant women sit down... Am not sure what else was said because I was chuckling so hard by this point.

The interesting part for me is that people are so polite here already. Very rarely do you run across people not following rules and just being courteous. Almost everyday on the bus I see somebody give up their seat to somebody else. I wouldn't think they would need a rap to remind them. Although, maybe that is the trick that Singapore has learned that the rest of the world has not. Make the announcements fun and a bit entertaining and people will be more likely to listen to them.

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The little things

I knew when I moved here it would be a challenge to find a new hairdresser and to find comfort foods and figure out the transportation. I never really thought about the little things. By little things, I mean figuring out where to buy common household items. If you need envelopes back home, you can find them at the grocery store, Target, or the corner pharmacy. Heck, I'm guessing you could probably even pick them up in a gas station. This is not the case in Singapore...

The grocery store sells groceries and things related to groceries like cleaning products and a few personal items such as deodorant and baby things. The pharmacy here sells prescriptions, vitamins, soap, make-up, etc. I haven't been to a gas station here but they look to sell gasoline and maybe a few snacks. None of these places sell envelopes.

It is not like Europe where paper products are sold at dedicated stationary stores. I actually haven't seen a stationary store here. The closest is a stationary department in one of the local chain bookstores. I didn't feel like walking that far nor did I feel like waiting in line at the post office...I know that may be a shock to everyone! Instead I opted to wander through a local shopping center to see if I could find someplace. I am glad I did because I found a new local bookstore and they had an entire selection of envelopes. They also had a nice selection of greeting cards which is a post for another day...

So today I am missing the convenience of the one-stop sells all type stores back in the US. On the other hand, I am thankful it is different here. I may not have ever wandered up another floor in the shopping center to find a local bookstore only about 2 blocks from my house.

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Liverpool 5, Singapore 0

Last night I went to see the Liverpool versus Singapore soccer game. Liverpool, from the Premiere League is one of the top teams for those of you who are not footy fans. There are a ton of Liverpool fans here. Many of which are expats from Europe but it is also just a very popular team here in Singapore. As you can see from the photo above, it was a sea of red Liverpool jerseys.

I was pretty excited for the atmosphere of being at a Premiership game. Unfortunately, it didn't really carry over into Singapore. There was a bit of cheering but there were many times when it was just really quiet. It was also really interesting because instead of typical chants and cheers they tend to sing to support Liverpool.

The first half of the game was pretty good to watch. Liverpool obviously dominated Singapore but the defense from Singapore was pretty great. They held off Liverpool from scoring until the extra minute of play. The second half got a little crazier as you can see from the score.

It was fun to go to a live sporting event. And, I met a few new people, friends of friends, and we laughed a lot so that was well worth it.

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Military fly over

Every Saturday just after 7 pm I get startled by a military jet flying very low and very fast over my apartment. I have looked all over the internet to find information as to why this happens but haven't found any. I live very close to the Prime Minister's palace so am guessing that it is a military tradition for them to do this each week.

I actually live just down the street from the first Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. He held the office from 1959 to 1990. Interestingly, his eldest son is the current Prime Minister and lives at the official palace. Lee Kuan Yew lives on Oxley Road (I live on the corner of Oxley Road and Eber Road) and has 24 hour armed guards outside his house. They actually block off the street from about 10 pm to sometime early in the morning to prevent noise in front of his house. It is just a normal house on a city street and without the gates and the armed guards you'd never know somebody important lived there.

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Gee, I wish they had...

Corn on the cob holders. You know, the little prongy things that you stick into the end of the corn on the cob so you don't burn your fingers. They sell tons of corn on the cob at the grocery stores but I cannot find those holders anyplace. I even went to the trusty Japanese $2 store and they didn't have any. I did find lots of other fun things there. Hmm...maybe it is a ploy by the $2 store to trick you into thinking they have everything so you come in...get a little depressed that they don't have what you are looking for...start browsing...and magically you leave with a bag full of stuff and $20 less in your wallet.

Anyway, back to the corn on the cob holders. I am curious what, if anything, Singaporeans use when eating their corn. I am having some friends over for dinner tomorrow night and was going to serve them corn but may have to rethink it...wouldn't want them to leave with burns on their fingers.

Please open your kitchen drawer today and appreciate your corn on the cob holders. You won't realize just how much you miss them until you don't have them and can't replace them.

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Solar Eclipse, songs, and stuff

Nope, I didn't get to see the solar exclipse today. However, a handful of us were communicating with team members in Taiwan and India and heard their reactions to it. I wish it would have been a bit further south because it would have been fun to experience. My only recollection of a solar eclipse was when I was still in college at Ferris. It didn't seem like a big deal at the time but now I wish I would have paid more attention.

On another note, I have been walking around all day singing "The Star Spangled Banner" in my head. I've not ever had this particular song stick in my head so it is a bit unusual. I am by no means complaining. I like to sing it and always do with my hand over my heart - especially at Hurricanes games. Speaking of which, for those of you Canes fans out there please know that I don't drag the ending out like a particular anthem singer does...

Lastly, I am having another great mail week so thanks to everyone. Yesterday I received a letter from my husband and I also received a card from my nephews (and brother and sister-in-law). My nephews made me a necklace and sent it over. It was such a nice surprise! I wore it to work today so here's a picture of it:

I know it might be hard to see since it is backwards but it says Kate and has some really pretty beads. Thanks to Bram, Finn, and Jameson!

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Holy Smoke!

Or should I say holy smokers! The past couple of days I have been downwind of what appears to be every smoker in Singapore. Last night I counted and it was about a 1 to 3 ratio of smokers to non-smokers on the round trip walk to the grocery store.

I don't know if more people smoke here or if I just notice it because I walk most places instead of being in a car all of the time. Thankfully smoking is not allowed in buildings including restaurants. However, it can be quite a challenge to avoid getting burned while navigating through a sidewalk full of people.

The things that I take notice of now are interesting to me. It is funny how changing just one small thing such as walking instead of driving can change your perspective on things. I acknowledge that I have changed more than just one small thing by living in a different country and experiencing a different culture but I'm betting something like noticing the number of smokers wouldn't be much different if I were to walk down busy streets in the US.

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Fire Brigade

On my bus ride to work this morning I saw two fire engines from the Singapore Fire Brigade. They were responding at an apartment complex. The fire engines are big and red just like they are in the US.

The fire fighters looked a little different. They were wearing navy blue protective gear with bright orange X's on the front and back with a belt around the middle. (It reminded me very much of my orange crossing patrol belt from elementary school.) To finish their uniform, they were wearing bright orange helmets. Now, these are not the helmets our firefighters in the US wear, these were much bigger and covered much more of the head. Kind of like a Storm Trooper helmet but bright orange and minus the part covering the face. I have searched online for a good photo of the uniform but cannot locate one. My first impression was that they looked like a Lego character.

While the way the firefighters looked was a bit different there was one thing about the scene that reminded me of home. All sorts of on-lookers gathered around wondering what had happened. They were keeping a respectful distance but were curious nonetheless.

It looked like it wasn't too serious of a situation and they had it under control. Regardless of how different they may look, I am happy to see that they respond in a similar fashion to home.

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A thing I don't miss

I just finished my weekly Skype date with my mom. We try and talk every Sunday and it is a great way to keep in touch. Plus it is fun to see each other instead of just talking on the phone. During our conversation today the topic of junk mail came up. At home in Durham, we get a ton of junk mail each week. My mom was commenting that she is in the same boat. Coincidentally, I read this weekend that there are approximately 100 million trees used each year to send junk mail to Americans. Wow!

I don't get junk mail here and I have to say that I don't miss it. By now we all know just how much I love to receive mail. However, in my world junk mail does not constitute true mail. I realize that it gets delivered from a postal person and resides in your mailbox until you retrieve it but it just doesn't count. It is the lowest of the low when it comes to mail...it is even below bills. At least with bills you get a service or an item in return for paying them. Junk mail...you get nothing but the joy of having to shred the contents to ward off potential identity thieves.

So, while there are a lot of things about home that I do miss - junk mail is not one of them!

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Saturday morning

This morning I decided to play tourist. I took a walk along the river and ended up at the Asian Civilisations Museum. There is a photography exhibit there by a well-known photojournalist that Alan read about. The exhibit closes on Sunday so I wanted to get there to see it. Believe it or not, this is actually the first museum I've visited in Singapore.

The Asian Civilisations Museum shows the history of Asia by breaking down the region into Singapore, Southeast Asia, West Asia, China, and South Asia. I enjoyed it because it showed the history without too much clutter. The exhibits were all well designed and provided a good description and history of each of the regions. The museum also has done a really nice job of creating interactive children's galleries for each of the regions. I like this because a lot of the main galleries required reading and not touching - not too much fun for the kids.

The photo exhibit I saw was a collection of photos from Steve McCurry entitled The Unguarded Moment. The most recognizable photograph was of the "Afghan Girl". Here is a link to the National Geographic website in case you want to see the picture. All of the photographs in the exhibit were taken with Kodachrome film which Kodak recently announced they will no longer be producing. I think the digital world is great but there is still something nice about film cameras.

The exhibit was great and I enjoyed the rest of the museum as well. At only $5 SNG for entry it was a good value. I then headed back toward my neighborhood to visit a different grocery store. Along the way I ran into one of my friends Sonya. She has just moved so I wandered over to her place to have a look at it. I have to say it was kind of fun randomly running into somebody I know.

My morning ended with a visit to the grocery store called Fair Price. I had heard that the produce was even cheaper here than at the wet markets so I thought I'd check it out. Four grocery bags later I ended up back at home. I'll still head to the wet market for some things but it is nice to know this place exists and is just around the corner from me.

What do you have planned for your Saturday morning?

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Singapore shampoo

This afternoon I left work early to get a haircut. It was desperately needed being that I looked a bit like a shaggy dog...had been since the end of May since I had my last cut. I found a nice salon when I was still staying in the temporary apartment. It is on my same block and literally around the corner from my building. Very convenient.

The salon looks similar to those back home. Lots of chatting and hairdryers running and hair products for sale. The main difference is noticeable when they shampoo your hair. They do it with you sitting in the same chair where you get your hair cut. They just walk up behind you and squirt some shampoo on the top of your dry head and just starting lathering up. There is no sink. You are just sitting in front of the mirror watching this nice person shampoo your hair. Seems a bit weird until they start the awesome neck and head massage...oh my goodness does it rock! Very relaxing...makes you want to curl up and nap. The shampooing & massaging lasts for about 5 minutes and then they take you to a sink and rinse your head off.

So, they do indeed have the hairdresser sinks but they just choose to use them only for rinsing. Seems a bit odd to me but is very normal over here. I don't know if one way is better than the other. Certainly the Singapore shampoo uses less water so I guess from the environmental side of things that is a perk. Regardless, the end result is the same and I am happy to report I no longer look like a shaggy dog.

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Should I or shouldn't I?

That is always the question in my head when I've had a relatively boring day. Should I or shouldn't I blog? Nothing too terribly interesting or exciting happened today. I was in our main office the whole day and got tons of work done and had a bunch of teleconferences and meetings. On the way home I remembered (after two days of forgetting) to stop at the grocery store and buy bananas. Then I came home and have just been relaxing ever since.

It's interesting because most days I'll experience something or see something or try something new and I immediately think "there is the blog topic for today". Clearly that wasn't the case today. My guess is that all of you who are reading this are voting for the should not portion of the question. I'd have to agree.

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Confirmation at Casa de Kate

WOOHOO!!! I have my first confirmed guests on my calendar. Alan and our friend Tom will be coming next February for the Chinese New Year celebrations. It is the biggest holiday in Singapore so will be fun to have guests here during that time. I was in India during the festivities this past year but I saw all of the decorations leading up to it and they go all out.

I know that they won't be here until February but I have been smiling since I found out they had their tickets purchased. Just the thought of having familiar faces and people here that I know and love is an incredible feeling. I will be able to come home from the office to conversation and laughter and all of those great things that you miss out on when living alone.

Who will be the next to confirm a trip to Singapore?

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New dessert

Today during work one of my employees came up to me with a box of the above and said "try this" so I complied. It was a bit slimy and sticky on the outside but not in a disgusting way. I took a bite and the outer portion didn't have a lot of taste but the inside was filled with peanut butter and peanut bits. Yummy! A little savory and a little sweet - a great combination.

After tasting it and enjoying it I asked what it was. It is Ang Ku Kueh which is pronounced an koo kway. My colleagues told me that it is a traditional Singaporean dessert and that they are in the shape of a tortoise (hard to tell from the picture) because the tortoise is believed to represent longevity. They are typically eaten at baby showers or birthdays.

I found this info on a website:
Basically the skin of the Ang Ku Kueh is made from glutinous rice flour. Dough is made from it and and the fillings is put in before it is rolled into a large ball. Then the ball is pressed into a mould to create the "look" akin to a tortoise shell. Then the whole batch is steamed to create Ang Ku Kueh.
A good Ang Ku Kueh is one where the skin does not stick to the teeth and gives a good chewy feeling. The fillings should be smooth, mixed very well with the skin and should not obstruct the chewy feeling. For peanut filling, the peanut must be roasted to create the nice aroma that will spread in your mouth, and the peanut should be grounded but not too fine so that it can give one a crunchy feeling when eating it.

I have not been a fan of some of the Asian desserts but this is something that I will eat again.

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Monday must mean mail day!!!

I started out the day not wanting to get out of bed. I didn't sleep that well last night and the traffic on my street seemed especially loud this morning. Ultimately, I think I'm still just tired from my meetings last week and really didn't want to go to work. I seriously considered taking a day off or working from home but opted to go in.

I ended up having a fairly productive day. That plus the still cool and breezy weather made the day seem a little better.

Then I came home to a full mailbox. Today I got two postcards, a package, and a drawing from my friend Janelle. She drew it during a Skype session she and I had (with her parents too) a little over a week ago. I have actually been fortunate the past couple of days getting mail. Some from my mom, my brother, from friends, and especially Alan.

Thanks everybody!

FYI - this is the super cool picture that is now hanging on my fridge:

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Finally settled - photos included

I finally have pictures on my walls (not all of them but the rooms I frequent the most) and a clean house. Since both of those factors were what I was waiting for to share pictures of my apartment I can now do so.

Enjoy your blog tour of my Singapore home...

Living Room:


View of living room sitting on the sofa:

This is what I have named the 'cocktail couch' since it sits just outside the kitchen. You can sip cocktails while I am in the kitchen cooking.


View of dining room (table is folded up):

Sewing room:

Spare bedroom (ready for guests - hint...hint...):


Master bedroom (2 views):


Balcony off of master bedroom (I still need to get some plants):


Kitchen (yes, I was in the process of making dinner - hence the mess):


This is very different than my NC home but I like it. As I'm sure I mentioned before it is in a great location which adds a lot to living here. I am just a short walk from everything I need and a bus ride away from the office.

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Well...that was different

Today was a bit of a pampering day. Not so much for me but for a friend here who turned 50 this week. Her family is all in the US and we were stuck in meetings for 12+ hours on her actual birthday. Based on this, I thought she desperately needed a bit of attention so I forced her to go to the spa with me and then dinner.

Backing up a bit, I slept in this morning....boy did I need that! Had some coffee, chatted with Alan, and then headed to the gym. I got my booty kicked by my personal trainer but he made me laugh a lot so that made it a bit more tolerable.

This afternoon Patrecia and I headed to the spa. This is the first time I've been to an actual spa here in Singapore and I have to say, it is not the same as being in the US. I booked appointments for the two of us and when we got there they had us in a couples room. Thankfully, she and I have gotten to be decent friends so this was not too big of a deal but still...a bit odd. We walked into the room and they gave us disposable underwear and a hairnet to change in to. My experience at other spas around the world do not include either of these so I thought it was a bit odd but complied. The massage was nice (not nearly as nice as my usual therapist in the US) but there were a few things that stood out... First, they start at your feet and not your head. Second, they massage your buttocks...sounds a bit odd but after a couple of grueling workouts I wasn't complaining especially given the number of muscles in that area. Third, they massage your stomach. I can tell you that I am not a fan of this...am not sure why but having a belly rub is just not something I find enjoyable.

Overall the spa was great - just a bit different. The other bit that was different was that the therapist could not have been above 5 feet tall. In order to get a deep massage this meant her climbing up onto the table during the massage. I never felt her on me but man, she must be very limber and have amazing strength.

I guess the message I have taking away from the experience was...well...that was different.

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Back home - Singapore

Made it back to Singapore this evening and am glad to be home. It was an exhausting week of marathon meetings. I only got out of the hotel to walk to dinner last night and then on the way to the airport this afternoon. Kuala Lumpur is only a 45 minute flight from Singapore so I will head back when I have a proper weekend to spend wandering around the city.

I think I am finally settling in a bit here at my place. It was nice to come back to some familiar surroundings. And despite living alone, I always get a personal welcome home from the guard at my apartment complex who is a really nice guy. He usually asks me where I've been and if it was for work or pleasure. Certainly is not the same as coming home to Alan and the kitties but it is nice to have a friendly greeting.

Nothing planned for tonight - just relaxing and hoping to catch up on some sleep I missed out on these past few days.

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Malaysia

I have been stuck in meetings at the hotel since 8am this morning. The meetings went well but I have another 2 hours of meetings tonight. Therefore, I have not seen any of Malaysia except on the drive from the airport last night and through my hotel room window.

I was able to see the Petronas Twin Towers on the drive in last night. They are the tallest twin buildings in the world. They are quite pretty when they are lit up at night. Here is a picture I got from the web (since I likely won't get out to get any of my own):

I have heard some great things about Kuala Lumpur (KL is what the locals call it - even the pilot on the plane here called it that) and am looking forward to poking around here a bit. I have meetings tomorrow from 8am - 11pm tomorrow so won't get out then either. Looks like I'll have to take a weekend trip and view it on my own.

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Quick post from KL

Am at my hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...yep, that is another country to put a tack in on the world map. Am updating from my blackberry so this is a short one since I am off to bed.
More tomorrow...

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Numbers

I finally have both a local landline telephone and a local mobile telephone. For months, I have just been using my US number which is fine, however, most places here don't want to make an international phone call to reach you. So now that I have these two lovely local numbers I cannot for the life of me remember them. I just made an appointment for this Saturday and they asked me for my number and I had to read it off of the sticky note sitting next to me.

In case you were curious, the phone numbers here are 8 digits long. In the US they are broken apart into 3 digits and then 4 digits, here they just split them down the middle into 4 and 4. Since Singapore is both a city and a country there is not a need for area codes. Also, just in case you were curious, the country code for Singapore is +65.

One would think that since a typical US number has 10 numbers (including the area code) it would be easier for me to remember an 8 digit number or two. Heck, Sunday morning Alan and I were booking our trip to Hawaii and after only a couple of times I had our entire 16 digit credit card number memorized. I can even recite just about every phone number I've ever had in the US. Just doesn't seem to be happening - just cannot get these two numbers. Nope! I've had my office phone number since last October and I couldn't begin to tell you what the number is. I never call myself...and I hate talking on the phone...so I try and use email and instant messaging as much as possible.

In addition, with my digital phone line, I have to dial either 008 or 018 to place an international call. One charges 88 cents/min and the other charges 8 cents/minute. For the life of me I cannot remember which to use. Have to pull the website up each time. Grr...

My goal is to have these numbers memorized sometime in the next two weeks. Somebody out there who reads this should quiz me in a couple of weeks to see if I hold true to my goal.

On the other hand, I had my new zip code memorized within a couple of days of knowing it. Zip codes here (for those who haven't yet used mine...I am pathetic, aren't I...) are 6 digits instead of the 5 digits we are used to in the US.

So far, those are the only differences in numbers. I have no trouble remembering my bus number or my bus stop number or all sorts of other random numbers. Hmm....maybe I need to do a purge of some of these old numbers.

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Gee, I wish they had...

I know I haven't posted to this title in awhile. I guess I haven't been missing too much besides people these past couple of weeks...until today.

Gee, I wish they had...apartment walls made out of drywall. Nope, instead, mine are made out of concrete. I found out this lovely bit of information while trying to a hammer a nail into my living room wall. I bent 3 different nails before I finally decided to concede to the strength of concrete. Holy cow does this create a bit of an issue when trying to hang pictures on the walls. On the flip side, Alan smartly pointed out that is quite a nice thing from a fire safety perspective.

I momentarily thought that I was going to give up and just not hang anything on the walls. But, I just can't do that. The walls are a stark white and without pictures on them it looks a bit sterile in here. Plus, I have all of these great framed pictures that Alan and I have taken on our travels around the world.

Alan sent me over here with a great tool kit (hence the hammer and nails). Included in it were picture hanging materials. Somehow, he had the foresight to include a package with some sticky 3M hooks. According to the packaging, they can hold up to 3 lbs & are fully removable. I decided to try them with two pictures before sticking them up all over the walls. I am pleased to say that they have been successfully holding pictures since about 4 pm this afternoon. I have since decided where to hang the remaining pictures and am waiting the hour for the sticky stuff to adhere properly to the wall.

Hopefully sometime in the next couple of days you'll see proper pictures of my apartment with furniture and wall hangings.

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4th of July

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

I just got home from the 4th of July celebration held here in Singapore. It was hosted by the American Association and was free to everyone. There were a ton of people there (mostly Americans) and I have to admit that it was nice being around a group of similar people. No strange languages, no weird accents, lots of red, white, and blue being worn. And honestly, everybody was extremely friendly. It was a great time.

The celebration was held on the north side of the island at the Naval base. It was on the grounds of the Terror Club which is the name of the officers club at the base. Kind of a funny but very appropriate name for the club.

As you can see, there was representation from the US Navy League. In addition, there was a booth for the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Plus there was an entire section devoted to the kids with face painting, bouncy houses, etc.

They had a ton of food vendors with typical American fare. My friends had hot dogs and hamburgers while I had a bbq chicken sandwich and french fries. They also had beer, wine, and cocktails.


The weather was perfect today. Nice poofy clouds passing overhead with sunshine, blue skies, and a nice breeze. Everybody brought blankets and just sat on the lawn and chatted and ate and drank and laughed. There was always a band playing familiar tunes in the background. They played big band songs and rock songs and patriotic songs.


I think that my favorite part of the night was everybody standing up, placing their right hands over their hearts, and singing along to the National Anthem. It was pretty great.

The evening ended with a nice fireworks show. They were essentially shooting them right above us so almost everybody just leaned back or laid on the ground and looked up at them. The typical "Stars and Stripes" was playing in the background which for a moment made me think I was at home.

I wish everybody a safe and fun 4th of July holiday!

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A typical Friday

Alarm goes off at 6:02 am.
Woke up around 6:45 am.
Video chatted with Alan.
Showered.
Ate breakfast.
Caught the bus.
Got to work for my 9am meeting.
Found out my 9am meeting wasn't until 10am.
Worked all day.
Caught the bus home.
Worked some more from home.
Went to the gym.
Came home and showered.
Went to the grocery store.
Came home.
Video chatted with Alan.
Skyped with Dave, Michelle, and Janelle.
Ate dinner.
Blogged at 9:55 pm.

The point of all of this is that while all of you are just starting your long, 4th of July holiday weekend, I had just another typical Friday. No holiday for me. Boo...

On the plus side, it is the weekend! Woohoo!

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Singapore songs

The appliances here in Singapore are very friendly. They play songs when they start and when they stop. My rice cooker plays Twinkle Twinkle Little Star when it turns on. My washer plays a nice song when it has finished it'd cycle. They could just beep or buzz like they do in the US but for some reason they play tunes. It was kind of weird the first couple of times but it has definitely grown on me. Why not avoid that annoying beep or buzz when you are cooking or cleaning. Instead, the local appliances have found a way to make me smile at the beginning and the end of their jobs.

I finally got a land line telephone here which required me to purchase a phone. Even the phones had funny ring tones none of which sounded like a normal telephone ring. My phone now plays the circus theme - yet another way to make me smile!

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July or June?

So, I woke up this morning to July 1st. First, I cannot believe that it is already July and half of this year is gone. What the heck happened to it? Second, it seems a bit odd that I am already experiencing July while most everybody I know is still finishing up with June. Really emphasizes the blog title, eh?

I'll blog again when all of you catch up to my month!

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