Bali, Hi!

We just got back from Bali the other day. It was my third trip to Bali and I continue to have a love-hate relationship with the island. It is probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The beach, the mountains, the rice terraces, it's all great. The one thing I can't stand about Bali is the fact that everyone is trying to sell me something all the time! It is impossible to just lie on the beach and relax. The touts are either sitting right next to you, holding a sarong in front of your face and demanding a dollar, or in nice resorts, they stand at a distance and wait for you to cross that invisible line which allows them to come and get you. It's hard for them, I understand. Especially for an economy that is almost completely dependent on tourism, and with the two terrorist bombings, the people are suffering. But still, I have to draw the line when they ask for US$25 for a henna tattoo... I guess I will need a few more trips to decide where I stand with Bali.

Jacki's Big Adventure, Part I

Ok, so Jacki came for a visit and I promised I would tell you how it went, so here goes. She arrived at 11:30PM which was extremely helpful in getting her over jetlag quickly. Over the next two and a half weeks we went to all of the usual tourist places: the Bird Park, the Singapore Zoo, China Town, Orchard Road, Arab Street, Sentosa, Underwater World, on the Duck tour, the DHL balloon (terrifying in my opinion, she loved it.) We went to a few non-tourist places as well: East Coast hawker centre, my school (SAS) and Kuang's office.
When we weren't busy walking all over the island, Jacki was busy getting sick. She had morning sickness, dehydration and even a lovely bout of mycoplasm (thanks to me!) It's no wonder I wasn't quite sure whether she enjoyed her trip or not. She was not thrilled with the food and we spent much of out time searching for western food.
Still she says she enjoyed it, especially the Bird Park, Zoo, Duck Tour and DHL balloon. As for me, I was glad I could share a slice of my life here in Singapore with my family.
Stay tuned for a future post with pictures from her trip.

Cattitude

"Squeakers" found us in an alley in the heart of Singapore. I couldn't help but stop to pet this adorable kitten. She wasn't ready for me to stop petting her and decided to follow me. The petting hasn't stopped since. She's been with us for two months now and is extremely loving and intelligent. Her name comes from the fact that she does not really meow, rather, she squeaks. She is a lot like a dog. She meets us at the door, loves going on walks and likes to play fetch. Squeakers is very Singaporean as she likes spicy food and likes just about anyone who comes over. I thought I loved cats but Kuang truly believes this cat is his "daughter" and would probably give his left leg for her if ever there was a need. She is a very special member of our family!
Photograph by Hwang Chi Kuang, www.39eastimages.com

Oh My Ao Dai!

Me at a friends wedding in my lovely handmade tailored ao dai from Vietnam.

Work work work

Here's the problem with living in Singapore. There are three things that people do a lot of: eat, shop and work. Especially work. The "normal" working week here is 6 1/2 days. By the time you get to work and fight traffic home in the afternoon of that "half" day, you've really spent a whole day working. In other words, Sunday is your only day off.

As expats in Singapore we tend to conform to the same schedule. True, my work only requires me to be here Monday through Friday for 8 hours. The reality, however, is that we end up working overtime and spending our weekends catching up on other work and daily humdrum, like paying bills or we spend them comotose in front of the television, trying to assure ourselves that this is in fact home and we are allowed to rest.

Don't get me wrong, I admire the work ethic and all this work has helped me to pay off bills faster. But let me put it this way: there is a reason that the birth rate here is dangerously low. No time to make babies! Of course you could always get a maid to help, and many do. Personally I hate the thought of other people taking care of my dirty laundry. No pun intended.

Different people, different strokes.

Really, the work situation isn't that bad. The key is to have something that you are passionate about to fill that one precious day off per week. There are so many options here, from paintball to sailing to ceramics to pilates to kung fu to swimming to archery, tennis, you name. For me it's wakeboarding. Ahh, life is good.