Unpacking for eternity

I will apologize in advance for a shortened blog this week.  While the week seemed busy to us, the majority of it was full of preparing the house for the arrival of our furniture. So, in other words, a lot of tasks that are not exciting enough to document.  But, there were a few exceptions!

While walking to the market it occurred to me that I hadn't shared any of the areas that I enjoyed along the river walk.  So, this week is a picture of my favorite bridge over the Singapore River.  The Alkaff Bridge at Robertson Quay.  This was Singapore's first art bridge which features 55 different colors of paint and is shaped like a tongkang, a boat used to carry goods along the river in the early days.  But, I think I just like it because it's colorful.

Alkaff Bridge

Mid-week I had lunch with a really nice woman whose husband Mark and I had met at the BBQ a few weeks back.  We had a good time and she's an artist so she was able to tell me where to get some art supplies.  In fact, she took me to the art store that day and I picked up some water colors. I then did my first painting in a little over two years! I was pretty excited!

My currently untitled painting

Wednesday Mark had some drinks with his coworkers, he took them to Black & White Bar to show our support during its opening week.  And then on Thursday he met up with Matt, a man who worked with a company called Inspectorate in Houston but now works in London.  Mark has known him for a few years now and enjoyed catching up with him.

Friday was the big day - the furniture was delivered!  There was a lot to do with having the rental furniture picked up the same day and checking in all the stuff we brought from Texas.  I'll be honest, at first when I saw it all in here I was scared. I seriously didn't know if it was all going to fit!  Although now that most of it is put away, I think it's fine.  Things are definitely tighter than what we're used to but it's manageable. Pictures of the place to follow in later blog once it's cleaned up a bit!

Friday night Mark and I met up with a couple, Dan and Jessica, that we had also met at the BBQ.  Dan and Jessica experiment with making their own beer due to the outrageous alcohol prices in Singapore and even brought us a gift of their just finished brew, a dark brew similar to Guinness. Next, they said they are trying a cherry wheat beer.  Mark is really excited but saving it for a later since they told us it gets better and more carbonated with age. Also, it has to be noted that Dan is a Patriots fan but we decided we like him anyways : )

Beer gift from Dan and Jessica, they even bottle it themselves!!

The four of us had dinner at a place called Esmirada which features Mediterranean cuisine and "Zorba" for entertainment.  For those of you that don't know (because I didn't), "Zorba" is an ancient Greek habit of smashing plates for good luck.  The waiters/waitresses all start clapping and the guests join in and then they pass out plates that you smash on the floor.  It was fun! Although I actually came home with quite a few cuts from this (I'll wear jeans next time) but I liked it none-the-less!  During dinner we all shared a hummus appetizer and for the main course Mark had Greek Moussaka, baked layers if minced lamb, eggplant, potato, cheese, tomato, white wine, and onions.  While I had Paella Espanola made from Spanish saffron rice and served with chicken, shrimp, scallops, and mussels.  I didn't care for Mark's dish but he really liked both and I loved mine.

My Paella Espanola dish summed up in one word, YUM!

Our broken plates during "Zorba"

After a great dinner on Friday we had some more unpacking to do on Saturday.  After that, we went to the Liang Court shopping center for some odds and ins. Then to Koppitiam for lunch.  Mark eats lunch at the Koppitiam with his coworkers sometimes and wanted to take me there. It's a Hawker style food court but unlike most Hawker Centers it has A/C (thank goodness).  The food there is very cheap and pretty good.

Saturday night we had Beerfest tickets so we headed towards the Marina where the Beerfest takes place right next to the Singapore Flyer.  And luckily, we ran into some people we had met so we spent most of the night hanging out with them.  There was a huge variety of beer but Mark still enjoyed Budweiser most.  I only tried one beer, a strawberry one which I didn't care for and ended up pawning off on Mark, and then I switched to mojitos.  We stayed late and snacked on Australian fish and chips when we were hungry. We had lots of fun!

Beerfest Asia 2011

Mark, hiding behind the "I'M NOT NICE" sign, joining in on the fun

Sunday was full of relaxation....and more unpacking...