Your Today is My Yesterday

I'm an Ox...what are you?

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

We are coming up on the year of the dragon in the Lunar calendar. I found out today that more babies are born in Singapore in the year of the dragon than any other year (so much so that the last time it was a dragon year they had to build more schools). Apparently dragons tend to be strong leaders and many kings and presidents have been dragons.

I am not a dragon but as you probably read from the title of this post am an ox. The general description of an ox is as follows...

Dependable, ambitious, calm, methodical, born leader, patient, hardworking, conventional, steady, modest, logical, resolute, tenacious. Can be stubborn, dogmatic, hot-tempered, narrow-minded, materialistic, rigid, demanding.

I would certainly agree that a lot of those characteristics tend to describe me but there are some that definitely do not. What do you think?

If you are curious what your Chinese zodiac is go to this website and take a look...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac

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Sunday, January 8, 2012

The entire time I've been living in Singapore I've tried hard not to dwell too much on things that frustrated me or were different. I mean...really...those differences are a big reason why I even opted to live here in the first place...to be able to experience them. Being human...you tend to just get frustrated sometimes and this gets a little harder than you might think.

For example...
Yesterday I went to the movie with a friend and was stuck waiting for a bus for longer than I wanted to be...ugh...couldn't it just get there...why is traffic so unpredictable...gee I wish I had my own car...

It got me thinking...there are probably negatives and positives on both sides of the globe...so now that I am on my countdown to my last days in Singers I have had a bit of a shift in thinking...I may randomly share a few of these thoughts with you as short blog posts over the coming weeks...

Traffic & Driving
Am really looking forward to having my own car again and being able to drive myself when and where I want...
Will miss the luxury and ease of public transport when there are traffic jams or late nights out...

City Living
It will be nice to be back in a home with a yard and some real space that is all our own.
I will miss being able to walk out the door and be in the thick of things in a matter of minutes.

Tropical Weather
I have a long-standing disdain for hot & humid temps but must finally admit that it is kind of fun being in flip-flops most of the year and that sitting by my pool on the weekends enjoying the cool breeze and blue skies is not a horrible thing.
I will not miss the crazy rain that comes with living in the tropics and am very much looking forward to wearing turtlenecks and tights and boots...when I get back to NC.

Any last requests?

Friday, January 6, 2012

I have known for some time that I will be permanently returning to the US sometime early this year. Yesterday, I booked my flight home and will be departing and arriving on February 29th!

I am super excited to be coming home! It will be so great to be with Alan and the cats everyday and to see friends and family in person instead of through the computer. I'm also looking forward to cooler temps...driving my own car...good Mexican food...and many other random things...

At the same time, I am really sad to be leaving Singapore. I'm going to miss the variation in culture...the food...the ability to travel so easily in Southeast Asia...but mostly will miss the great friends I have met here...

I'm going to try my best to live in the moment for the next 54 days (yep...the countdown is on) and enjoy all things Singapore so I don't have any regrets when I am back in the States permanently. As loyal readers for the past three years do you have any last requests? Is there anything you want me to revisit or explore or explain while I'm still here? If so...leave a comment and I'll do it!

30/52 - Chinatown

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Week 30 of 52
Chinatown
Singapore

The Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year is rapidly approaching. We in Singapore will be celebrating it on January 24th & 25th and have those days off as public holidays. In preparation for it Chinatown is a buzz of activity. I always take a trip this time of year to see what the decorations look like and just get a general feel for the upcoming festivities.

We are entering the year of the dragon and ushering out the year of the rabbit. If you are curious what your Chinese zodiac is check out this website: http://www.chinesezodiac.com/calculator.php. I am an Ox - FYI.

In the Chinese culture, Lunar New Year is probably the biggest holiday of the year. It is a time meant to be spent with family and friends. From speaking with the locals, they take about a week where they go to family members homes for large dinners and quality time. It is traditional to give a gift of money to children in red envelopes such as these...

There are quite a few decorations to choose from in Chinatown. The majority of them are red and gold which symbolize luck and prosperity. And since it will be the year of the dragon quite a few of them are dragon related...

There are also lanterns and flowers everywhere as decoration and to be purchased...

It is a beautiful and fun time of year to wander through Chinatown. The crowds can be pretty overwhelming but it is totally worth the fun of seeing the buzz of activity for the holiday.

Fun with food - Egg Tart

Monday, January 2, 2012

When I first arrived in Singapore I read an article about the best bakeries in Singapore for egg tarts. At the time, I had no idea what egg tarts were. So, the first time I wandered through Chinatown after reading that article I found the bakery where the article claimed was 'the best egg tart' in Singapore.

The shop is a tiny little storefront tucked away in Chinatown. You would easily walk by this place and not even take notice. The man in the picture is standing in front of the only pastry case so you can see just how small the shop actually is.

I should also note that I have absolutely no idea the name of this bakery. Everything is written in Mandarin and the only way I found it the first time was because of the great description of the location in that original article.

So, what exactly is an egg tart?

It is a small pastry (maybe 2 inches across) that is filled with egg custard.

The crust is like a normal pie crust...

The filling is egg custard...

The custard is thick but doesn't ooze out when you cut through it...not sure why but the first time I ate one I thought it would be a little oozier. The crust tastes like any pie crust would and the egg custard tastes like eggs with a little bit of sweetness to them. I would actually say they are more of a savory dessert than a sweet one.

I prefer the English version of egg/custard tarts because they are bit more dessert-like than the Asian version. However, I would have to say that this is one of the better Asian desserts that I have tried...there are some really weird ones...remember the post about desserts in Thailand...

http://yourtodayismyyesterday.blogspot.com/2009/11/fun-with-foodthai-style.html

Welcoming 2012

Sunday, January 1, 2012

I had a relatively quiet evening last night. I went out to dinner with some friends and was home by 10:00 pm. I wasn't in the mood to deal with the crowds of people out celebrating...and by the looks of the number of people heading down to the Marina Bay area while I was walking in the other direction on my way home I made the right choice.

Much to my surprise, I made it to midnight so watched the festivities on television...

Yep...that is a picture of my TV at midnight...I know, I know...I should have been down there with the 10 gazillion other people but I honestly was much happier in the quiet of my own home. And, I think I probably had a better view. Luckily, I live close enough to the Marina Bay area that I could hear them shooting the fireworks and even caught the tippy tops of some of them from my balcony...

What did you do to ring in 2012?

2011 Recap

Saturday, December 31, 2011

I swear that it seems like just about a month ago that I was writing the 2010 recap and about to head off to Bali. I quite honestly have no idea what happened to 2011...it went by so incredibly fast! From my point of view, it was a much more subdued year than 2010 which was a nice change. Just a few minor challenges along the way but where would we be without challenges to face?

I just re-read my 2010 recap blog and realized I didn't end up blogging much more than I did in 2011. I will say that I had every intention of doing so but just didn't get around to it. I will...once again...try very hard to blog more frequently. It is especially important since I'll be returning to the US at the end of February....date to be determined and more on that in another blog post...

Last year I shared a bunch of thoughts with you because I felt I had ended the year a little wiser. I'm not sure about the wiser thing this year but will gladly share more of my thoughts and reflections from what I learned in 2011...

Sunshine after weeks of rain and gray skies can make your day...
Laughing until you cry is still one of my favorite things to do and has got to be good for your health...
Exploring new countries and places with Alan is a lot of fun...
I still love going to the post office and receiving letters...
Being at the NHL All-Star game was pretty amazing...
Finding new places in Singapore has been fun and interesting...
Almost being attacked by a black spitting cobra is actually a pretty cool story to tell...especially since it was an 'almost'...
Having curly hair was fun while it lasted but am honestly just thrilled that I have hair...
Catching up with old friends at my 20 year class reunion was a lot of fun...
Being able to say 'I'm just going to Bali for the weekend' is a pretty cool thing to do...
Peas are still the enemy...
Being on the phone all of the time at work does not make me more productive...
Being charitable and giving is one of the best feelings on earth...
Having friends who 'schedule' time to talk with their friend who is half-way around the world are amazing...
Being healthy and working out are good feelings...
Beer Lao is probably the best Asian beer made...
Spending a quiet evening at home is sometimes almost as good as an evening out laughing with friends and family...
Duke still has amazing healthcare providers...and a kickass basketball team...
Monsoon season is both good and bad..bad for all of the rain but good for the cooler temps and wind...
Laundry is still the best chore...ever...
Being there for a good friend is one of the best parts of a friendship...
Starting the day with good coffee makes for a happier Kate...
I have an amazing husband, great family, and wonderful friends!

As usual, I am not doing any specific resolutions...instead, I do have a few things I'm going to try and work on this year. I am going to try and blog more frequently...I am going to try to enjoy all of my time in Singers before I head back to the US...I am going to try and be a nicer person...I am going to try and be more charitable...I am going to laugh as often as possible...

I'll leave you with a photo recap from my 2011...

New Year Celebration in Bali