Animals of the World

I can't even try to deny it -- I LOVE ANIMALS! All kinds. Even the lizards that scurry across my living room floor and scare me to death. I want to hug, hold and kiss just about any animal I see and if whoever I am with will indulge me (usually my husband), I will make kissy noises, silly faces and try no matter what to get the animal to come to me if at all possible. So, in light of this, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite animal friends that I've met around the world this year.

#1. The Kangaroo.

We entered the Healesville Animal Sanctuary in Australia last week and I had no idea what to expect except I knew I wanted to see the kangaroos. When we approached the kangaroo area, we noticed the zoo keeper was in their pen and all the kangaroos were surrounding her getting fed. I also noticed that people were petting them!!! So, of course I ran and yelled at my husband to have the camera ready. As I reached out to pet one of the roos, another tourist cut right in front of me and smiled for her husband's camera! A major frown came across my face. Luckily, the zoo keeper saw the whole incident, handed me a carrot (roo food) and said "you're lucky. this is the last one." And this is what transpired:

Yep. That's pretty much the happiest me you'll ever see.

#2. The Panda

We had the chance to visit Hong Kong for a few days and they had this great amusement park. We kind of stumbled into it unplanned but ended up really enjoying the afternoon. The thrill for me was visiting the Chinese Pandas. They were gifts from China and cute as could be. We walked into this "Panda Exhibit" hoping to see a whole bunch of them and encountered this:

He looks dead, right? It was a little disappointing. Here was this one panda and he was fast asleep. At one point he rolled over and the whole audience did a collective "ahhhhhhh." but then he went back to sleeping and looking dead and I thought "well, he's cute but wish he would have been awake."

We continued to explore the park and were pleasantly surprised when we found another panda area. This time we saw 2 pandas who were wide awake and eating like crazy. Branch by branch, they were just tearing through their lunch and it was wonderful to watch. I was so delighted and took lots of pictures!

#3. The Cat

I know, cats are everywhere. Cats in Singapore are especially mangy. They're missing half their tales, they won't come near you and they're always meowing at each other. None of this bothers me. I still try to get close and call them to me whenever we're walking in the street.

Well, when I visited Indonesia, I met a completely different type of cat: the beach cat. There were about a hundred cats on this beautiful beach and I was instantly in love. I was hoping they would be more friendly than our Singapore cats and sure enough they were.

This feline let me pet him/her (whatever it was) for over 20 minutes. I was in heaven. I just sat there and told it what a good kitty it was, pet it's ears and back and kept secretly wishing there was a way to bring it home with me. It was a truly relaxed beach kitty and it made my day!

So, there you have it. A highlight of just a few of the animals I've met on my journies. None of them fit in my suitcase but they are fondly set in my memories. I hope to see many more animal friends in the year to come!

A Big Day: A Big Year

Monday has come to a close both in Singapore and the USA and it was pretty insignificant this year. However, I am reminded that it was just a year ago Monday that my then fiance called me and said "we need to get married...how about Friday?" And it was done. 5 days later we were wed in a small ceremony with our families and a few friends. We were getting married early for all things practical like changing my name, being able to apply for my green card in Singapore and being able to honeymoon over the Christmas holiday rather than right when my husband was starting his new job. I was just over the moon thrilled at this event and a year later I find myself in a beautiful country with my sweet husband and we both are happy, healthy and taking on the world.

November 14, 2008 was the beginning of a big year. People say the biggest stresses in life are 1)Getting married 2) Moving and 3) Death. In the past year I have experienced 2 out of the 3 (the best 2 I'd like to think). Getting used to living with someone is usually difficult enough but we were getting used to a whole new culture with no support but each other. It was tough at first but then I realized this time would go by quickly and I could either be miserable and homesick the entire time or embrace the change. I chose to embrace the change and it was the right decision. :-)

I will always look at November 14, 2008 - November 14, 2009 as a year in which I stretched myself farther than I ever thought I could go, I went places in the world I never imagined I'd see and I loved someone for an entire year that I can't wait to love a lifetime more. So, on Saturday I will wish my dear husband a happy 1 year anniversary and give thanks that this was a big year and a great year!

Monsoon: A Change of Season

If you visit Singapore, you might hear some locals say Singapore is boring. Boring in the sense that we are a very small island and after a few months here you will run out of new things to see. I tend to disagree with the "nothing to do after a while" boring argument. Anywhere you live you will experience all the town has to offer after 9 months of living here, I find it refreshing that you are almost forced to go off by plane or train to another country to have new experiences. Not a bad gig if you ask me.

So, I am not bored with things to do but have become bored in another way: the weather. Seriously. The sun rises at 7am, sets at 7pm and it is a consistent 85-90 degrees with 90% humidity each day. Many people I talk to have trouble understanding this concept. IT NEVER GETS COLD! I never wear long pants or a sweater unless I am sheltering my body from extreme air conditioning. Since February I have lived in an endless state of summer. Very good for laying on the beach or out by the pool but not good for long walks, bike riding and basically doing anything that involves moving outdoors.

But finally a change has come! The Monsoon. This is the time of year where it downpours for hours a day. It is our version of "April showers" but occurs in November and December. Last week, just in time for Halloween, it began to rain and thunder like it does most days but this time it didn't stop. It went on all night. The storms have continued each day since and it has been wonderful. Don't get me wrong, it is still hot and humid outside but I love looking out my window and seeing the beautiful sight of lightening and watching the rain pour down. Call me crazy but it's days like these when I turn the AC on high, put on comfy pants and a long sleeved shirt and pretend I'm back in the cold, even if it's just for a brief moment in time.

I'm sure by the end of December I'll be ready for my Singapore summer sun but for now the change of season is welcome. A change is good every once in a while. :-)

Metal Mouth

I took the plunge yesterday and got braces on my bottom teeth. I did this for a number of reasons that I won't go into but am thinking that in the end when the braces come off I will be happy with my decision. The thing is...it HURTS! Eating feels like pulling teeth (ha ha) and not being able to eat solid food makes me crave everything. It is quite the experience. I never had braces as a child and honestly I don't know how people managed to have braces on both the top and bottom teeth at the same time. Ouch. For kicks, I'll post a goofy picture of myself so you can see my blue beauties (I chose blue bands because I thought it would be "fun." They are being changed asap!)

Therapeutic

I am one of those weird people who find doing dishes and laundry very fulfilling. 6 months before I got married, I moved in with mom and dad because my lease was up and it was a good change. They had people come in once a week to clean the house so basically I did not lift a finger except for the weekly washing of clothes. Then, two days after our 2nd wedding/fun party I moved to Singapore where we got a house cleaner. She was awesome! So, I basically washed dishes once in a while and did some laundry but nothing more than that. Now that we've moved into a one-story apartment (verses a 3-story house) we've decided to ax the house cleaner and do it ourselves. Well, that means I get to do it. For the first time tonight in over a year, I picked up a broom and mop and cleaned our entire apartment. It was great! At the end of it all I was completely exhausted but remembered how therapeutic house cleaning truly is for me.

Speaking of therapeutic...I don't think I mentioned that when we moved overseas my hubby's company assigned a therapist to call and check in on me every once in a while. At first I thought this was very silly. What on earth did I have to tell this woman? Then as I began to experience the ins and outs of expat living I realized how valuable those conversations were. Last time we chatted, I was very unhappy in our big house with my hubby traveling so much and was on my way back to the US for an extended stay. She called tonight and it was nice to talk about the happiness I was feeling being back home in Singapore and contributing so much to that happiness was moving to our beautiful new apartment that I had just cleaned. (Um, I didn't mention the cleaning part to her. hee hee.) It felt good to know that progress has been made and life overseas continues to get better each day.

Now having had my therapy for the day, it's time for bed. Goodnight my friends!

Battling the Bulge Gender-Style

A little over a year ago I started losing weight. I was on a serious roll (and not the fat kind!). I was waking up at 5am every morning and carting myself to the gym. I'd cook healthy food for the week every Sunday and count my calories. The only time I'd let myself splurge was when my then-boyfriend came to visit.

Then I got engaged, started planning a wedding and moved across the world. The combination was not good for my waistline. I was the opposite of most brides-to-be and decided I'd rather eat pizza and grow into my dress rather than have it altered. :-) Before I knew it, all the weight I'd lost was back on.

My move to Singapore has put me in a position where I have absolutely no excuse not to eat well and workout. So, I got a personal trainer and enlisted him to help me lose 1lb a week until I've reached my goal. When I lost weight the first time I also had a trainer but it was a woman. Today, during an incredibly grueling workout, the difference between a man and a woman became clearer than ever.

My man trainer had me doing these difficult exercises. I was sweating within the first 3 minutes and by the half hour mark I was beginning to feel my breakfast make its way back up into the world. I was hoping that he would take pity on me and give me a break. Nope. "Keep going," he would say, "2 more sets of 20 to go." Then when I thought I couldn't stand anymore, he'd move on to a more challenging exercise! My woman trainer would have heard my cries and said "let's sit this one out" or "just do 5 instead of 20" but there is no sympathy with this guy.

Results were achieved with the woman and if things keep going this way they will be achieved with the man but the approaches are so different. A more emotional way of working vs. a let's get it done way of working. Both work.

So, here I go getting back on the wagon. I'm meeting my man trainer again on Friday. Wish me luck.

Spoke Too Soon

Well...all the mushy, gushy happiness ended today. Doesn't it always work that way? You're on cloud 9 one day and the next day lightening strikes. So, I've decided to handle it in the most mature way: get myself a taxi home, crawl in my bathrobe and sit on the couch where I can let the rain cloud over my head pass in peace. It's the only thing I can do at the moment.

So Much To Say

This week has been quite full and exciting and exhausting!

I landed at 1am Wednesday morning in Singapore and carted myself home all by my lonesome. My hubby was working in Germany. It was the last night I would spend in our house and I was so tired it didn't bother me that I was alone. When I got in the house, a teeny, tiny gecko greeted me in the kitchen. I saw this as a sign of a new beginning. I will miss those lizzies though.

At 8am, the movers arrived. I spent the day with 5 Singaporian men who worked so hard. Our house has 4 bedrooms and 3 flights of stairs so one can only imagine the calories they burned. I also got the keys to our new apartment and instantly fell in love when I saw it. It has a beautiful view of the city, stays cool all day long and feels safe and secure. For one whose husband travels constantly, this is so important.

Now, the real fun began yesterday at 2pm when all the boxes arrived and it was time to unpack. Again, the same 5 men were working like crazy. There was paper and cardboard flying everywhere. They barely let me carry anything and were so amazingly helpful. It's nice to be around people who do their job well and are cheerful and fun at the same time.

The movers left this afternoon and the "putting away" portion of the move has commenced. I've decided to stage an intervention for my husband because I am beginning to believe he is a clothes-a-holic. Was it neccessary to bring 35 sweaters to a tropical island? How about 6 heavy coats? I have one small closet and the man's clothes have now taken up every other closet in the house. God bless me with patience as I attempt to find homes for these things he never wears. Good thing he is good looking and fun to be with.

Although I have been on the go constantly this week and seriously jetlagged, I have been thinking constantly of how happy I feel. I am happy to be with my husband, happy about our new home, thrilled at the thought of what the future holds and enormously blessed by my family and friends. I know this happiness will not last forever and so I am cherishing it. I wish I could bottle it and open it during the rough patches. Since that can't happen, all I can do is enjoy it and wish this for others.

OK, enough sappy happiness. It's time for me to get back to work!

Returning

My writing has been on hold due to a long trip back to the US. It's amazing how fast time goes by and what seemed like an eternity 10 weeks ago has now arrived and I am preparing to return home to Singapore a week from today.

While back in the Bay Area I had the opportunity to return to work and spend time with friends and family both local and in other areas of the country. It was so great! A lot of new, wonderful memories were made and I was reminded of the amazing love and community I have in my life. I traveled to Oklahoma City and Tulsa OK, Portland OR, Pittsburgh PA and Chicago IL. My friends and family are so cool and the US is so beautiful! But, it's time for me to return home to Singapore and I am happier than ever!

My husband and I are moving immediately to a new apartment. I think this will be a great change for us (mostly for me) and I see it as a chance to start over and really dive into this living overseas experience. I was so homesick before but now realize I will have plenty of time (Lord willing) to live in the US and this is a short and blessed time in my life.

So, here's to returning to my home and to my husband and to my life as I have never known it before. Something tells me I'm in for a treat!

What's In a Name?

My hubby and I took this all day cultural training on Saturday. It was very helpful and informative. There is so much I can talk about but I'll start with names. It seems easy enough. However, in Singapore it's extra complicated. This is because there are a number of cultures all on this very small island. Unlike the United States, Singapore does not consider itself a "melting pot" but a place where people come from all over the world to live in harmony. The country is predominantly made up of 4 cultures: Western, Chinese, Indian and Malay. Each has its own name structure and it is important to know 1) Who you are speaking to and 2) How that person should be addressed.

Chinese: Chinese names are structured like so -- Family___Generational___First Name. So,
Tan Kheng Lee is not "Tan." He is Mr. Lee or Kheng Lee. The generation name is decided by the eldest member of the family. So, brothers/sisters and cousins will all share the same generational name.

My Chinese Name: Johnson Suzanne Alicia (this is what my checks say believe it or not!)

Malay: Malay names are structured like so -- Given Name___son of___Father's Given Name.
bin means "son of" and binti means "daughter of."

My Malay Name: Alicia binti Don :-)

Indian: Indian names are generational. If you are Sikh, your last name is automatically Singh. If you are not a member of the Sikh community your name is structured like so --
Grandfather's given name___Father's name___Your given name. Women take on a different name structure when they get married which is-- Your name/your husband's name__daughter of__ your father's name.

My Indian Name: AliciaMichael daughter of Don

So, as you can see, it all depends on who your talking to. I'm glad we learned this early on in our stay. Although the local people will excuse your rude behavior because they assume you don't know any better, knowing this information helps me understand why so many people call me Mrs. Alicia.

Safety in Singapore

In the subways of Singapore they show these mini "movies" on safety tips. Today was the first day I actually paid attention and was amazed. First, the video showed all the attacks in the last few years on subways like London and Mumbai. I mean, they don't just mention the attacks but show bloody victims and bodies and all the ugliness that went along with those tragedies. Then the video says "DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO US." After the blood comes the actors showing how we should be aware of our surroundings on the train, watch those who look suspicious and report any bags that are left alone.

Safety is a number one priority here. They don't mess around. I've been reading about the drug cartel activity and the drugs that are brought into the US. If you are caught with a large amount of drugs in Singapore, they hang you! As one unlucky American boy learned years ago, you are cained for graffiti or defacing property. The penalties for committing crimes are so high that people don't even risk it here.

I know these punishments sound extreme and they are but (the big BUT), something is working to keep this population of 4 million safe. It's a nice feeling to live in such a peaceful place. There are signs on every taxi here that say "Low crime doesn't mean no crime." It's a statement to remember. But I do enjoy walking to the corner at 1am to get yummy Chinese food. Safety has its perks!

Purpose

Oh my, it's been a few weeks since I've written anything. There has been a ton of things on my mind but it's been tough to get them on paper.

The main thing I've been thinking about lately is purpose. Everyone searches for their purpose in life. There are a million books written about it and all kinds of classes and therapy to help you discover what you were born to do. I've found myself suddenly in a place where I am reaching for these resources and it's very strange for me.

6 years ago when I graduated college it took about a year for me to figure out what I really wanted to do. Then it took another year to get there and then my Councilmember won the election and I was working for the Mayor of the 10th largest city in the United States! After three years of working in the job I wanted so badly, life took a turn and my marriage took me across the world. Now, as my husband goes to work each day, I am left to wonder "now what do I do with my life?" And the funniest part of this all is my husband says "do whatever you want." Whatever I want is a pretty broad range to choose from.

So, here I am embarking on this journey to figure out what's next. Where is my place in this big world and on this small island of Singapore? Let the exploring begin!

"Cool" vs. "Comfort"

Michael and I came to visit Singapore in early January. The purpose of our trip was to get to know the town a bit and hunt for houses. And hunt for houses we did. In three days, we saw about 20 places. I didn't want to live in a highrise so we looked at apartments in buildings which were 20 stories or less, condominiums and duplexes. We stayed away from the typical American house. Here in Singapore they are called "landed houses" and are about 5,000 sq ft. +++. A little large for 2 people. In all this house hunting, our top two properties were extremely different.

There was the Grange. This was a 10-story building. Each story was its own apartment with a private elevator. It had 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and was about 3000 sq. ft. The Grange had marble floors, white walls and lots of windows. It was kind of like an extra large, brand new hotel suite. Very nice! Very...comfortable.

The last property we saw was a shop house on Everton Road. Shop houses are historical properties in Singapore and are no longer built. People used to (and some still do) have their shops on the bottom floor and the family lives on the top floors. We fell in love with this house when we saw it (I'll argue that my husband fell in love with it more, but that's history now). It was more than anything...cool. It had all harwood, was newly rennovated and our neighborhood looked like one you might find in nice parts of San Francisco. So, after a night of sleeping on it and some pondering, Everton Road was it.

Then we moved in. The three flights of stairs and incredible heat was killing me! As "cool" as the house was when we initially saw it, there was so much work to be done and the structure of the house made it incredibly difficult. I began to dream of The Grange and wish we had chosen a less "cool" and more "comfortable" home.

Yesterday, our relocation agent asked if she could stop by with a family who was looking at a similar house down the street from us. When they came in, the father immediately said "we'll take it." :-) I realized that cool has its perks. There are no other houses like ours in Singapore. It is so unique. Yes, it comes with its challenges but we'll never have the opportunity to live in a house like this again, anywhere in the world. As our house is coming together, I am beginning to appreciate it more and more. It has a certain charm about it that will be worth all the work when it is decorated and lived in. For now, I will continue to work and climb stairs and work. When it's all said and done, I'll post pictures!

When I Die

This morning I had just returned home from my favorite store, Mustafa (I will blog about this later with pictures. It's amazing!), and was putting together my new vacuum cleaner when I heard a loud banging noise. I assumed it was the construction going on next door and went about my business. Then, the banging got louder and louder and louder until I realized that the banging was drums and symbols. I opened the window and there was a whole band in bright red costumes playing music while walking down my street!

I thought to myself, what day is today? Is it a holiday that I don't know about? Where is my camera??? After the band came this beautifully decorated truck. I sat happily by my window and watched the parade until I saw the hearse. Amazing. This was a funeral. The hearst was a big car with clear glass in the back so you could see the coffin. The coffin was beautifully decorated from top to bottom with flowers.

After the hearse came a long line of mourners all dressed in white. White is the color of death in the Chinese culture. They were walking silently behind. I had never seen anything like this before.

You know the saying "When I die, I want them to throw a parade in my honor." Well, here in Singpore they do. It was celeratory and sullen all at the same time. What a good way to go. And now I know, next time I hear the band outside not to run for the camera.

I'm at a loss... or should I say Lost!

I have had this incredible curse on me lately. Not sure exactly what it is or where it came from but something is definitely wrong. Now, I've never been one to believe in curses but the past few weeks' events have made me a believer.

The weekend of my wedding was wonderful, fabulous really. I was stressed but happy and everyone attending seemed to have a good time. After the reception a large group of friends went into the hotel bar to continue to the party. Being the great hostess that I am, I went to the front desk to order pizza for the group. They needed a credit card. So I go to my room and get my credit card. That is the LAST time I saw my wallet. Hmmm. No big deal right? Cancel the credit cards, head to the DMV. No harm no foul. Wrong. My passport was in the wallet too and I was scheduled to leave the country in exactly 48 hours. Not to worry. You can get a passport in 24 hours...except when the the Monday after your wedding is President's Day. So everything that could possibly identify me was LOST. (oh, and my cell phone was lost that weekend too and never found).

Finally, after much fretting and crying, I received a new passport in the mail and was off to Singapore to be with my wonderful husband.

Cut to today. I attended this wonderful reception for International Women's Day hosted by the American Women's Association of Singapore. I met soooo many nice people and was feeling very positive about my day. I was scheduled to meet with some wives from my husband's company for coffee in the afternoon and then with some new friends for drinks tonight. Yay! Friends! All was right in the world until I reached into my purse and...where is my brand new cell phone??? After retracing my steps I realized my cell phone was driving in the taxi that had dropped me off at home. My cell phone also has all my new friends' phone numbers in it. Very big bummer.

I called and called and called and called. Finally a man answered and was attempting to speak to me about where he was with my phone in chinese. Then... HE HUNG UP ON ME. I tried to call back but alas my phone had been shut off. A man delivering furniture overheard me tell a friend from home that I had lost my phone. He said to me later "when you leave it in a taxi, you'll never see it again." Sigh.

There you have it. It feels pretty terrible to lose something and losing so many things in such a short period of time feels worse. I swear I'm on the brink of getting a fanny pack people or somehow sewing the most important things I need for identification and communication to my body. It has gotten that bad.

New New New

A new marriage. A new Country. A new blog.

I can't even describe in a million words what has happened to me in the last year. My life took a big leap into the unknown as I got hitched and moved to Singapore with my handsome hubby. 5 days into the move, here I sit on my couch ready to start processing this new journey and share my experiences with all of you. If the last 5 days are any indication, my time here will be full of interesting moments to say the least.

Thanks for joining me. Let the blogging begin!