Chinatown and Dempsey Hill

During the week this week, Mark still spent pretty long hours at work.  On Thursday night after work, Mark and his coworkers went out together to a place called Au Petite Salute located at Dempsey Hill in Singapore.  Dempsey Hill now is mostly composed of bars and restaurants but was at one time (approximately mid 1800's) the site of the British Barracks.  Mark's group went out as a welcome dinner for Mark and a celebration dinner for another group member who just got a promotion.  During the dinner, they had Mark stand on his chair and say three things that no one knew about him.  Aside from that part, Mark had a great time and liked Dempsey Hill so much that he took me there on Saturday night.

Nighttime view of Dempsey Hill entrance sign and fountain

 I, for the most part during the week, just continued getting us and Colt settled into the new place.  Getting Colt settled pretty much has just consisted of a lot of attention and a lot of walks.  I still have quite a few people (about 5-10) everyday ask to get there picture taken with him or stop to ask question about him.  My new response to the picture question is, "Yes, but he charges pets for pictures."  It was getting kind of sad watching Colt's face when people would come up and stand 3 to 5 feet away from him to get their picture taken, it was like he just didn't understand why they weren't petting him?!  So, this new arrangement has made Colt quite happy because he now gets some pets from strangers and it's a subtle way of letting people know he won't bite them because that is still the question I get asked most often.

I also met with Shell's Outpost Group on Friday morning for coffee and to see their office.  The Outpost Group is comprised of spouses of Shell employees that volunteer to help with any questions that expats living in Singapore may have.  They were all very nice and had lots of helpful information.  They gave Mark and I a very nice welcome packet and invited me to an event in June, a workout session followed by coffee.  The workout session is to be instructed by one of the ladies I met who is a personal trainer, so I'm really excited!  Friday night Mark and I spent the night in eating dinner and watching a movie.

Mid-day on Saturday Mark took me on a walk to show me the "Department Store", as he called it, where he found cheap toiletries and things.  When we got to Chinatown I realized that it probably wasn't a department store quite like I was used too - I was right.  It was actually a 3 story shopping center filled with food, clothing, fabric, and toiletry vendors.  While it wasn't what I expected, Mark was right about the prices.  While in Chinatown, Mark also showed me one of the many Hawker Centers in Singapore.  For those of you who don't know ( I didn't until we got here), a Hawker Center is an open air complex which features a variety of different food vendors.  Hawker Centers are pretty common in Asia as they supply inexpensive food.  Mark and his coworkers eat lunch several times during the week at Hawker Centers.  To me, some looked really appetizing while others looked not so cleanly so I will be judging them on a case-by-case basis as to whether or not I will eat there.  I was brave enough to split Dim Sum (Asian Dumpling) with Mark from one of the many Hawker Center vendors and it was actually delicious. I would definitely eat it again.  Mark also scored some major brownie points by picking me out a really pretty bracelet from another vendor.

View 1 of Hawker Center

View 2 of Hawker Center

Another notable Saturday occurrence was that Mark and I had our first police officer sighting!  Singapore has pretty successfully made safety a priority in the country so with that I guess there isn't really a demand for many cops.  Mark and I had commented several times about how we never see police or patrol cars so when I saw the cops I got a picture, it's a little hard to see them but I promise they are there!

Our first cop(s) sighting! In blue at center frame

Anyways, after Chinatown we headed back to our place, checking out some bikes along the way, since Mark and I want to start riding.  But, bikes are incredibly expensive here so we are taking our time and weighing all of our options.  We may even consider shipping bikes from the U.S. if it makes more sense financially.  Once we got home we got ready for dinner but fed Colt first and took him on an evening walk.  I think Mark had thought I was over-exaggerating a little about the amount of attention that Colt gets on walks...That was until he went with us Saturday night.  That night we were probably stopped at least a dozen times by people wanting to pet or get pictures of Colt.  He was even asked to be in a group picture with about 20 tourists.   We joked that the flashes were like paparazzi and I also added that Mark probably shouldn't walk Colt by himself because Colt is a total chick magnet ; )

Following the walk, we headed to Dempsey Hill for dinner and drinks.  It is a really neat place because as your hopping from place to place you almost feel like your on a nature walk because of all the foliage and flowers. It was very pretty at night.  We started at a place called Margaritas and the margaritas were in fact, very good! I had the mango one.  Next, we ate dinner at a place called Contemporary Melting Pot and Bar where we split Chicken Curry and Margarita Pizza.  It was here that we discovered that neither of us like curry (hey, you can't win them all!).  Despite the lack of interest in the curry dish, we still liked the restaurant overall.  It had a great live band and an interesting selection of mojitos which  have become my favorite drink since moving to Singapore.  Being the wild and crazy party animals that we are, we were in home and in bed by 11pm.

Mango margarita for Margarita's! (Say that 5 times fast)

Mark and I at dinner

Live Band at CMP&B

Sunday was just used for some R & R by pool. Although, Mark did venture out to a sports store to buy a bench and free weights for the gym since it didn't have one. And I think that is about it for the week!

Moving Time!

This week Mark had off work due to the public holiday on Tuesday.  Not quite sure which holiday it was but we enjoyed it just the same.  We took full advantage of Mark not having to be in the office that day.  We slept in, went to the gym, swam some laps, then laid out by the pool.  In the evening we strolled on the Singapore River walk and had sushi by the river.  Side note: It was during our sushi meal that I realized my LOVE of fish eggs and have since even bought them at the store!

Pool side holiday at Fraser Place

Fresh Sushi appetizer - Mark's Tuna sushimi on right and Niki's fish eggs on left

 

View from sushi restaurant of boat taxi the "Bumble Bee"

View from sushi restaurant of across the river

Mark and Niki at dinner

The rest of the weekdays were filled with making arrangements for the approaching move to our permanent place, Watermark.  We had forgotten how much leg work there was to do for moving into a new place: packing, setting up utilities, getting the gas turned on, cable, internet, etc. And on top of that we were arranging for rental furniture, Colt's arrival, and the delivery of his food.  Luckily, everything came together perfectly for our Saturday move!  I also did some more recipe experimenting earlier in the week and made clams in garlic white wine butter sauce and they turned out surprisingly well (yes, toot toot again).  Mark and I now know that we really don't care for the grittiness of clams but still enjoyed them.

Prepping the clam experiment

I had also emailed a girl living in Singapore but originally from Spring, Texas earlier in the week. I had met her randomly a few months ago while working at Absolve Wine Lounge in Houston.  I asked if she wanted to meet up sometime so I could pick her brain about all that Singapore has to offer.  We decided on a Friday meeting at a place just downstairs from Fraser Place called Wine Connection.  We had wine, hummus, and nice conversation.  We were eventually joined by her boyfriend and Mark.  From the Wine Connection we continued our conversation at a place called Bar Bar Black Sheep which serves drinks (of course, hints the name Bar Bar) and Western, Indian, and Thai cuisine.  Mark and I shared entrees so we were able to try both Indian and Thai - both were excellent, as was the company.  We learned a lot more about how to get around Singapore as Expats and also learned some interesting things about vacationing in Asia.  After taking in all the information we were given, Mark and I are considering get scuba diving certified and planning some trips around diving.  But, for now, it's just a thought.

After a late Friday night, Mark and I woke up early on Saturday to finish packing. We then said goodbye to Fraser place and hello to Watermark (pictures of our new place will be posted at a later date once we have our stuff and it is decorated).  Moving was pretty much what we anticipated - tiring.  It took 2 taxi trips to get all of our luggage and airfreight moved and we actually had to take a van taxi on the second trip just to get it all.  The rental furniture arrived at the new place shortly after we did. Once we unpacked and settled in, we headed for the store to get groceries and cleaning supplies.  We had been spoiled living at Fraser Place where there was daily breakfast and maid service (Mark jokes that not much will change for him.  But, I'll be the one laughing when he tries my breakfast).  After moving and chores we decided to finally go to Brewerkz, the microbrewery we had planned to go to since the first weekend until we overslept and I became sick.  The dinner was great and on the way home we saw a really neat flight show where people fly electronic light up planes.  I took video but have not yet figured out how to post it.  But the planes light up all different colors and looked very pretty against the night sky.

Bye Fraser Place

After an exciting but tiring Saturday, we were REALLY looking forward to Sunday. The day Colt got to come home! Colt was delivered to us around 2:30pm.  Before getting him acquainted with the house, we had "spa time" which consisted of a bath which Mark conveniently got out of helping me with because he had to listen for the doorbell in case Colts food arrived (man, he's good), nails trimmed, ears cleaned, and elbow lotion.  Immediately following "spa time" Colt got a nice long walk out to the large grass patch and along the river.  (And again, I have video but I just have to figure out how to upload it from my phone, technology can be so confusing).  Since Colt was getting pretty tired walking  Mark and I decided to give him a rest so we stopped at a place called The Merry Men that allows dogs to sit outside.  Mark and I had our Sunday night date for drinks and appetizers and Colt had two large bowls of ice water...and lots of stares.  People here aren't sure what to make of Colt yet some people take pictures or ask to have their picture taken with him or ask to pet him while others walk as far away as possible.  I actually even had a lady run away from us, a full out sprint. I laughed out load a little (don't worry, she was already too far away to hear), I'm sure Colt was laughing on the inside.  So far, Colt is adjusting well with no behavior problems so we're happy! I think he is just enjoying having the run of the couch back and all his old toys.

Colt enjoying being reunited with his favorite toy, Mark's old hockey glove

Lastly, I realized I hadn't posted a picture of Mark's office yet. The below one is not very good but I snapped it on the way to the MRT. I'll follow-up later with a better one. But, you can still kind of see the Shell at the top.

Mark's Singapore Office

Sentosa

Mark and Niki at the National Geographic store outside of Sentosa

Since the "No Name" entry I have been informed by Mark that the restaurant name is actually "No Signboard Seafood", not "No Name Seafood".  I told Mark that I was going to leave the name of it as "No Name Seafood" because the title worked better for my blog ; )  The past week since the last blog have been pretty eventful.

The week was filled with some ups and downs which I guess is to be expected when you move to a new place.  Now, looking back a few days removed from the downs, they seem pretty trivial (at best) but I'll recap them anyways.  The week began with my first solo ride on the MRT (Mass Rapid Transportation, like a subway).  Up until that point I had only been taking taxis or riding the MRT with Mark.  So I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous.  I kept thinking what if I get lost?  I mean, just ask my Mom...or Mark...or really anyone who has ever met me, my sense of direction is pretty well nonexistent.  But, I am happy to tell you the that initial solo ride was successful and there have been many solo rides since-I'm pretty much an MRT pro now! Okay, I got a little carried away there. But, the point is that it was much easier than I thought.

Mid week I was excited to spend a day laying out by the pool, reading, and window shopping.  Let's just say the day didn't turn out quite like I'd hoped.  First thing that morning I managed to blow an adapter, our only converter, and my very expensive (to me at least, I'm a bit of a cheapskate) CHI straightener.  Which might not seem like that big of a deal to some people but, keep in mind, that you have not seen me in the humidity without hair products! I, in all seriousness, look worse than Monica on the episode of Friends where they go to the Bahamas-it's not pretty : (  Following the hair debacle and some rainy window shopping I thought my day was starting to look up.  The clouds and rain had passed and it turned into a beautiful day for some laying out by the pool...That was until a feel asleep by the pool for several hours and came inside looking like a lobster from the front and Casper the Friendly Ghost from the back. Yes, I'm being a little dramatic but I had no idea you could even burn when you were wearing SPF 50! Yes, that's right SPF 50! Don't act like your not a little surprised too.

My current hair twin

Following the extremely, horrible, no good, very bad day- the week shaped up really nicely.  Mark has working what have become his regular hours, 10 to 8 or 9pm.  He does have more stress here than in the U.S. but seems to be coping really well. He is learning the new systems and enjoying his new coworkers.  He went out for drinks one night this week with everyone and had a good time!  On the home front, I've been trying to impress Mark with my cooking by trying some new recipes, it's been hit or miss.  I made pecan crusted snapper which actually turned out really good (yes, I'm tooting my own horn).  But then I made banana bread which wasn't terrible but definitely not something you would serve to someone you liked.  In my defense, I had already bought the ingredients when I remembered that we don't have an oven right now. So, I had to look up how to make it in the microwave and microwaves don't make for the most moist banana bread. Tonight I'm making pesto and lemon zest salmon with snow peas and carrots, result TBA.  Mark said he wanted to eat more fish so I'm banking on the whole "it's the thought that counts" saying even if tonight's dish is an epic fail.

Mark and I had a busy but fun weekend filled with workouts, visiting Colt, a trip to Sentosa, and what is now our Sunday night date of appetizers and drinks.  Oh, I also got a cell phone, the white iPhone 4 which Mark and I have both had a lot of fun playing around with!  I think I pretty much covered our Colt trips in the Colt Update blog but there is a lot to share about Sentosa!

View of Sentosa entrance sign from the MRT

Sentosa is an island directly south of Singapore that has many things to do, everything from beaches (body of water is the South China Sea), bars, restaurants, a Luge, indoor skydiving, Butterfly Park, spas, Universal Studios, an Underwater world which has many activities of it's own, zip lines, etc.  Pretty much, you couldn't do everything Sentosa has to offer in one day even if you wanted to.  Before we went Mark and I had already decided that we would just sight-see for the day and save things like Universal Studios and Underwater World (I REALLY want to swim with the pink dolphins) for a later time when we could devote full days to each of them. 

Safety first while getting ready for the Luge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View from the chair lift of the South China Sea

But, we still had a lot of fun seeing all the attractions and even went on the Luge which is a downhill track where you race on a one person, sled-like, non-motorized carts.  Mark beat me but I'll take him next time!  After the Luge, we had to ride a chairlift back up which was not the highlight of my day but I think Mark enjoyed it and the views were awesome (above picture does not do it justice).  While at Sentosa we also did many of the Photo ops: gardens, snakes, birds, etc.  A few of our favorite things were the National Geographic Store (actually right outside of Sentosa) and seeing the Merlion which is Singapore's mascot that represents Singapore being a "sea town".  The Merlion is a special place for Singaporeans and a major tourist attraction. If you Wikipedia Merlion, there is a lot of interesting information on it. 

Niki with Albino Python at Sentosa

Mark and Niki with exotic bird at Sentosa, Mark likes this picture because it reminds him of one he took with his brother as a child in Hawaii (sorry for poor photo quality, it is a picture of a picture)

Mark in front of the iconic Merlion

After Sentosa we were pretty worn down from a lot of walking all day so we decided to have dinner along the Singapore River at Clarke Quay, specifically at a Mexican restaurant called Cafe Iguana then come home to watch a movie.

Ready for some pre-dinner drinks along the Singapore River

Water taxis at Clarke Quay

This week were looking forward to the public holiday on Tuesday which means Mark has the day off! We tentatively plan on spending it poolside.  We are also excited about the prospect of our new place and hopefully moving in on Saturday 5/21.  My main personal goal is to start studying to get my Singapore drivers' license...And you all thought stories about my cooking were scary ; )

Colt Update

Colt ready for his dip in the pool at Mutts & Mittens

What an angel!

Working on his tricks...Mark that is, Colt didn't need much practice ; )

Colt and I enjoy 3-4 visits together a week.  During our time together we usually do a walk, fetch some toys or sticks, work on tricks, take a swim, and, of course, he gets lots of love!

By-the-way, when I say "we fetch" I still mean that I am doing most of the fetching.  And when I say "we take a swim" I mean that Colt sits on the steps in the water looking at me like I'm crazy for trying to coax him out into the pool until eventually I give in and just come wet him down on the stairs which is what he wanted all along anyways.

When I visit, Colt always seems happy to see me and does not seem unhappy with his living conditions.  Thus far, we are still pleased with Mutts & Mittens' care and would use them again when we travel.  However, Colt being in boarding in Singapore makes me realize how different attitudes here are from attitudes in the U.S.

Here, I find myself "auditing" the boarder by making unannounced visits where I check to make sure the air conditioner is working, the cage and bed are clean, and the water is fresh.  They don't seem to mind because they have given you their word that they will take care of your dog so they do.  In the U.S. I used to do these audits in private because all the cages had their own webcam, almost like the boarders already knew you were going to be suspect of their care.  It seems like people in Asia are so much more trusting of each other.  In our 4 years here, that is one thing that I genuinely hope to take away from this experience, more faith in people.

I'll get there (maybe).  But for now, I'm just really excited because if everything goes off without a hitch then we should be reunited with Colty Boy in less than 1 week! Sunday the 22nd to be exact! YAY!

Side note: When Colt does break free, I'm still not sure what his friend prospects are going to look like. I've been searching high and low on the internet through Google and Singapore pet forums for other people in Singapore with Great Danes and have so far found zero-but I'm still looking!

No Name

I had a chance to meet many of Mark's coworkers last Thursday when we all went out for a group dinner at a place called No Name Seafood. Yes, that was really the name.  His coworkers were all very nice people, close in age with Mark, and also composed of several different nationalities (Singaporeans, Dutch, Japanese, and others).  It was a great dinner.  The center of the dinner table was a turn-style where you order different things and share so you have an opportunity to try more.  To my surprise, I liked most of the items, although some were to0 spicy for me (darn heartburn).  Both of our favorites was the crab dish with an egg yolk/salt sauce.

Mark is settling into work nicely. A few email complications but other than that I believe everything is going really well.  His schedule is different than what we're used to but we're adjusting.  He goes in later and works later than he did in the U.S. so we're getting up at about 6am to spent time together in the morning before he gets into work at 10am.  Part of our new morning routine includes breakfast and a workout together. 

We also think we've found our permanent housing.  It's a place called the Watermark.  We'd looked at it several times and after looking at it again on Saturday we decided to put in an offer. We should know in a few days if it is accepted.  If all goes well then we should be moving by the 21st of May!  We did put in a few requests for the place. Nothing too big but we did ask for a separate washer/dryer. It's common practice in Asia to have a combination washer/dryer-a product which I don't have too many nice things to say about.  The maximum load capacity of this washer/dryer combo is about 5-6 pieces of clothing and EVERYTHING comes out wrinkled! So much so that I've been ironing t-shirts!  Needless to say, after several falling outs between me and the appliance, Mark thinks its a good idea to get a set like we're used to (I couldn't agree more).  While I'm all for embracing cultural differences and becoming a more well-rounded person, sometimes you can't teach the old dog new tricks and I just want my old washer/dryer!  On the bright side, the iron and I are becoming quite close.

Colt has also finished his stay at the Quarantine facility.  But, since we don't have a place for him until we get our permanent place he has been transferred from quarantine to a pet boarding facility called Mutts & Mittens.  Finding Mutts & Mittens, a nice place to board Colt, was quite an ordeal...I'm going to preface with this statement: I know I maybe a bit neurotic when it comes to my dog but I really think anyone would have felt the same way.  The gist of the whole boarders saga is when a place calls itself a "5 star pet hotel" you don't expect to see concrete floors with no beds, an overgrown field as the play area, and huts all around advertising the different breeds of puppies for sale.  So after lots of looking and several, we'll put it delicately and call them meltdowns, I finally found Mutts & Mittens for Colt at the last minute before his quarantine release. I am very pleased with them thus far. I really like that they do a lot of rescue and rehabilitation with animals to give them second chances at finding homes.

Other notable happenings since the last blog include my attempt at making brown rice using the rice cooker.  Let's just say that until two nights ago, I didn't realize it was even possible to mess up rice in a rice cooker but I have many talents.  Ruining meals being at the top.

"This would be a good day to blog about..."

On our second day in Singapore, Mark and I had some time at the gym and then spent most of the early part of the day playing "tourists".  We were actually trying to find a place to get me a local cell phone but did some sight seeing along the way and also had our first encounter with the MRT (Mass Rapid Transportation) which is very similar to a subway, only faster.  And, coming from someone who had never rode a subway before, it was quite an experience.

During our tourist adventures in what is locally known as Little India, we even ran across a KFC. It just blew our minds that there was a Kentucky Fried Chicken in Singapore! This brings me to the highlight of my day (I must take a moment to emphasize the my on that statement).  As we're passing the KFC, Mark says, "This would be a good day to blog about." Just as soon as he finishes the word about, a bird proceeds to take a dump on his head/ear!  I think I was laughing so hard because of the irony in what had just happened. But, being the good wife that I am, I did go into KFC and get him some napkins...only after I almost feel over with laughter, but that is beside the point.

After we cleaned up what we'll refer to as "Birdgate". We headed back towards our area of Clarke Quay.  While walking the Singapore riverfront we decided to stop in at a microbrewery called Brewerkz, where we had decided to do our rain check celebratory dinner that evening.  Mark enjoyed their house pale ale and before we left we made the pleasant discovery that they allow dogs to sit on the patio area so it looks like Colt will get to enjoy some of the local sights as well.

After what had been a pretty great day thus far, it took a turn for the worse in the evening time when I came down with some sort of stomach virus.  So the rain check dinner had to be re-rain checked, we're beginning to wonder if this celebratory dinner is doomed.  For almost a full 24 hours I was in bed and running a fever. Thank God we have 2 bedrooms so that we were somewhat able to quarantine the illness (me) so that Mark has not gotten sick yet.  During the time I was sick Mark made several trips out to check for cell phones and also earned major points for bringing me crackers, Sprite, and the Singapore version of Gatorade, Sportade.

This morning, Mark and I had breakfast together. And now he is getting ready for his first day in the new office. He goes in at 10am until approximately 7pm daily. And is very excited!  I was supposed to look at some more properties today but luckily Cecilia called yesterday and needed to reschedule so that has been postponed until tomorrow morning.  As of now, on my agenda for today is 1.) laundry which there is lots of  and the maximum load size here allows for about 1/4 of what the U.S. load size allows and 2.) Hopefully visit Colt, assuming I feel better later today than I do now : (