CATS in Singapore

Took Maddie to see CATS over the weekend at The Esplanade. We went with her friend Sophia and her mom Christine and had such a great time. It is the first time I've been into the Esplanade, and it is beautiful inside.

The cast of this production was AMAZING and so engaging with the audience. We had great seats, first floor balcony on the side, so Maddie and Sophia were even more excited to be so close. I love seeing theater productions, but even more with Madeline. She is so into the stage, drama, and dancing-that it is like seeing it thru a whole new set of eyes with her. She comments on choreography, and notices things that I normally wouldn't. I love the fact that she just LOVES being near a stage-she lights up and almost glows. :) Sounds silly, I know, but its like an inner glow inside of her. After the show was over, she wanted to know if we could buy a DVD so she could watch it again. She talked the WHOLE way home in the taxi about the technical side (dancing) and what she was most impressed with. The cast was so talented and she read up on each person and their bio in the program. She wanted to know where they studied dance, where they went to college, etc. Soaking it all in.
It was a really fun afternoon and am so glad we were able to see it. I promised her when we go back to the States this summer, we will take the train into NYC again and see another show on Broadway.

Gone for tooooo long

Wow-I cannot believe that it's been months since I posted on here. I do apologize, as I have been addicted to Facebook (as I mentioned in my previous posts). :) But, I'm back and will now catch you up on the last few months.

Kids are crazy busy with school, and are out of school in just a month. Grant started baseball every Saturday and is really enjoying it. They play at 9am, so it isn't too hot and we seem to be in a shaded area which makes it much more enjoyable.


Madeline is super duper busy with school, work, dance. They are preparing for the upcoming dance recital at The Raffles Hotel and she is in 7 dances this year. In addition she must be ready to help the kids she teaches during their portion of the recital. This year there are 3 recitals in one day, and she will be in all 3--she is soo excited!!! I won't make Brian and Grant sit thru all 3, but they will come to one of them to support and cheer Maddie on. :) It seems like just yesterday she was 4 in her FIRST dance recital. Time certainly flies by. Here's an old photo of her from 2003.




Big news, as this is the first time I will be "formally" announcing it to the internet world....we are moving back home this summer. Honestly, we are quite sad, as we hoped for more time here on this amazing island of Singapore. But, Brian has completed his tasks here and now must head back to headquarters and start a new endevour. I am quite sad, but the only good part is that most of my closest friends here will be also headed back to the States this summer. There are a LOT of expats being brought back. The economy is certainly affecting the expat communities. Madeline and Grant reacted quite as we expected, sad and said they didn't want to go back. They both would love to live somewhere ELSE in the world, so we told them we hope and pray that we will have the opprotunity in another country sometime soon (crossing fingers and toes?!?!). Living overseas has changed us all as a family. We look at the world, materialistic items, and people much differently. It has been an amazing adventure that we would do again in a heartbeat.

I am looking forward to a girls weekend trip to Bangkok. This is the trip we TRIED to do last Nov. but had to cancel due to civil unrest. I am sooo excited to explore and shop shop shop. Will be sure to post photos of it after. :)

THE CAGE-indoor soccer party

My son's birthday falls in Feb., and when we were back in the USA I was always on the search for an INDOOR venue due to the extreme cold and snow this time of year. Now that we are in Singapore, I am STILL on the search for indoor venues for his bday, but now due to the extreme heat and possible rain showers.

After doing a lot of online searches, I stumbled upon THE CAGE, an indoor soccer place located near the Indoor Stadium. Their website is ok (www.thecage.com.sg), but a visit there is what sold me on it. There are about 8 different indoor "fields" located in different colored little buildings, each assigned a #. We were assigned Cage #6. Each field has a large amount of fans and a/c to keep you cool. And outside of the caged in area, is a room that is PERFECT for parties.






It was a HUGE success. 15 boys aged 6 and 7 yrs old were thrilled to play soccer and soccer games for 2 hours. There is an option when booking the party to hire a coach to run games and entertain the kids. Best $$ spent!! They were fabulous!!! They work for the Singapore Soccer Academy and run lessons out of The Cage. The two coaches for our party were so accomodating and most of all FUN! When we arrived, they gave my son a complete soccer outfit to wear that day (cool shirt, shorts, and soccer socks). He was thrilled as he thought it was like a professional soccer player. :) We had the coaches for the full time of the party and it was plenty of time, and allowed for a few water breaks. The boys had such a great time and didn't want to get off the field to have cake.






So if you are looking for a great indoor birthday party venue, The Cage is great. It IS hard to find,a hidden gem here in Singapore (most of our guest got lost on their way there-even with maps on the invitations). My son would tell you "TWO THUMBS UP-FUN PARTY! The best party I have ever had!!!!" Words that make a mommy's heart very happy. Happy Birthday sweet boy! xxoo

Fabric shopping on Arab Street

I am in the midst of planning my youngest son's 7th bday party and was in need of fabric to cover the tables and decorate with. Where to go in Singapore??? Arab Street.

Hopped in a Taxi and headed there yesterday morning. On my way to Arab Street it was interesting to people watch. What I did notice was that it is great to live in an area where people are always taking photos. When you look around it is amazing to see how many cameras are out taking photos of temples, architectural buildings, people, and just sights around Singapore. It is wonderful to see people appreciating the beauty of Singapore and its people.

Since nothing opens until 10am, I was able to walk around for a little while and enjoy the beautiful morning weather. Arab Street is known for shop after shop of fabrics. You can get quite a bargain, if you are willing to negotiate. I am new to the negations, and am not very good at it-but have learned from a few friends on what to do. So after hitting a few of the shops, got the fabric I needed for only $5 a meter (that's like $3.50 USD). Great price!!! :)

Maddie in the Singapore American School Variety Show 2009

The show was Feb. 6th and it was a HUGE success!! So many talented amazing kids in grades 3-5!! Maddie had been home sick (recovering from an allergic reaction the night before-thankfully she is just fine)...and still wasn't feeling 100% by showtime that night. But, she rose to the occasion-as usual-and loved loved loved being in front of the 500+ people there. I am starting to believe that she was really born to be on stage. :) Enjoy.

25 Random Things about Singapore, and living in Singapore

Ok, so I am on Facebook a lot, a lot more than my blog, and I have been neglecting it. So sorry. :)

On Facebook I just did a "25 Random Things about ME" and I was thinking I should do it about Singapore and living in Singapore.

So here goes....



25 Random Things about Singapore (and living in Singapore)

1. Singapore is very near the equator so it maintains at 75-85 degrees year-round (nice, I know)

2. Cars are soooo expensive here, almost 3-4 times more than in the USA. They are costly to help cut down on traffic/congestion on this tiny island. And they tax you $$$ if your car is OLDER , so most folks drive cars that are less than 5 yrs old. (i've heard that they ship cars that are older to Maylasia or Phillipines)

3. I love love love my Grocery Delivery and Dry Cleaning delivery here-could be the BEST thing ever. (and just like in NYC, food delivery is vastly available---even McDonalds delivery!)

4. Most locals are bi-lingual which is amazing. They speak their own language (mandarin, malay, hindi, etc) and then they speak English. LOVE that.

5. The landscaping here is like Disney. Seriously. Everything is lush, green, trimmed, and beautiful. Along highways, roads, everywhere. No garbage on the sides of the road, no car parts, no broken down cars, no graffiti....so nice.

6. You have to buy things in multiples at the store, especially if it is an American product. WHY? Because here today....gone tomorrow. Seriously. And you never know when it will be back on the store shelves. Right now, there are no Nutra-grain bars to be found on the island. Once it was Kraft Mac and Cheese that was MIA. :) So buy in bulk, just in case. :)

7. Our meats come from Australia. No cows here in Singapore. :) And it is super expensive but really really good. And our milk/cheese etc is mostly from Australia or European countries.

8. Yes, you CAN chew gum here-you just can't sell/distribute it. You DO get used to not seeing people chewing it, and when you go back to the USA you realize how yucky of a habit it really looks like. People smack it, drop it on the ground..it's not a good habit and it really messes up roads/sidewalks/etc.

9. For a country that is SOOO clean (the streets don't EVER have litter on it)...sometimes it is hard to find trash cans here. :) hmmmm

10. We drive on the left side of the road, and it's not so hard to get used to.

11. Most locals don't seat belt kids in...you see little toddlers sitting on their parents lap in the front seat!! Hard not to yell at them to buckle them in when you drive by them!! :)

12. They have open air food court-type places called "Hawker Centers" that have amazing CHEAP local food.

13. We have the same TV shows as the states-but usually a season behind. Oprah, Ellen Degeneris (spelling?), and CSI seem to be ALWAYS on. :)

14. Having a live-in helper is the "norm". Very affordable, and all houses come with a little bedroom separate from the others that is their room. They cook, clean, grocery shop, take care of kids-whatever you need. Nice luxury. :)

15. Singaporians have their own slang, called "Singlish". Kind of a mix of English. One example is adding "Lah" at the end of sentences... "Don't worry, lah". :)

16. I love the fact that most women dress up on a DAILY basis! Yes, daily!! :) Cute skirts, dresses, etc. Cute little shoes with little heels. It takes a lot more effort, but so nice to see people dressed nicely. I noticed it more when we came back to the states for our visit the first time after moving overseas--amazing to see "slumpy" daily attire from American women. :) (I was one of them not too long ago..I can admit it.)

17. Taxis are plentiful and clean (for the most part)--well A LOT more clean than NYC cabs. :) Seriously, most are new ones and aren't stinky. Super easy to get around the island, as taxis are easy to stop or you can call ahead and have them come to your doorstep.

18. They like to serve water without ice . Room temperature. Yes, without ice. And it's HOT here?? Go figure. :)

19. When you go to the Doctor, you get your medicines right then and there. No need to go and "fill the prescription"...they do it for you. Love that. Super convenient.

20. Local cats have small stubby tails. odd looking.

21. Instead of having central airconditioning in houses, you have separate units in each room on the wall with a remote control. At first it was a pain in the neck to get used to, but now kind of nice to just turn it on in the room you need it.

22. Windows don't have screens. So unless you are ok with "things" flying or crawling in your house, you can't open your windows on nice days. I don't open ours...don't like flying crawling things in my house.

23. Gekkos are a normal thing inside and outside of homes. They eat the flying things, and are actually nice to have around(as long as they hide themselves) :) They do change colors according to what they are "on" to camouflage themselves. We have a resident one in our kitchen, comes out sometimes when I am doing dishes. I have screamed very loudly when he pops out and surprise me. :) My friend Lori tells a story of one that was IN her box of Fruit Loops here and fell out and was the color of Fruit Loops into her bowl. Now THAT would make me scream.

24. They don't have pennies here-no 1 cents. Everything is rounded up to 5cents or 10cents. LOVE THAT!! Hate pennies, think they are such a waste.

25. Singapore is an amazing safe place to live in. Kids can go out and play in the neighborhood, they can take taxis and trains to go places-all without worrying about strangers and bad people. I am SURE there are bad people here, but the laws are sooo strict that NO ONE wants to do anything bad because of the consequences. No shootings, very few killings (and if you kill someone, you die too). Wish it were more like that in the USA. Most of the USA news were hear on the radios/tv here is of guns violence, violence towards kids, etc. Sad they WE are represented like that around the world.

Well, there are my 25 random things about Singapore and living in Singapore.
Hope it was interesting. :)

I promise to try to get off of Facebook and update this more often.
But, if you are on Facebook--look me up!! And "friend" me! :)

Traveling around the USA for the Holidays

Happy Holidays to all of you!

We are super busy traveling around the USA visiting friends and family! Been crazy busy but so much fun!! Will post more later....lots of great places we have visited but no time to post them. Once things calm down a little, I will post. Stay tuned:)

Until then... Happy New Year from our family to yours!
xxoo

Grant's 1rst Grade Holiday show

Grant's 1rst grade class, Mrs. Brill's, had their Holiday show last week, so cute to see how hard they worked on this show. Grant had a speaking part which he was so proud of. :) He was nervous but did FABULOUS!

Five of the 1rst grade classes were in our show, but there are 13 first grade classes at The Singapore American School. This show was a great way to get into the Holiday spirit!

Mrs. Brill's class sang "Ling Ling The Red Nose Reindeer", the Singapore version of "Rudolph". Ling Ling has a nose like a firecracker, she wants to play Mahjong games, wants to be famous like Raffles, and she says "OK Lah"-the Singapore slang that is said frequently around here. :)




All the classes also sang "We Wish you a Merry Christmas" in 3 languages- English, Mandarin and Malay. LOVED IT!!! :)

Thanksgiving in Singapore

Our Thanksgiving was very nice, but honestly didn't feel like Thanksgiving at all.

Everyone has work here... but Brian took the day off :)

No Macy's Thanksgiving day parade ....what used to be our traditional a.m. activity

Stores are open, business as usual....

No football on tv ....except British "football" which would be soccer to us

This year we made reservations at The American Club for dinner with friends. So there wasn't the yummy turkey smell permeating throughout the house....

I could say that it was nice to not have to be slaving away in the kitchen, but I would be lying. I truly LOVE cooking Thanksgiving dinner. But sadly, our ovens are soo stinkin tiny, it is impossible to make a big turkey in them. You would be lucky to get a turkey breast in it. :) Last year we went over to our friends house, she had a much bigger oven than I have and it was great fun. This year, we decided to try out the Club.

The dinner at the club was yummy, and they had all the traditional Thanksgiving items (and it was a HUGE spread of it). Sweet little emotional Maddie, bless her heart, started to cry as we sat down to eat. She explained that she liked Thanksgiving at home, and that it wasn't the same eating at the Club. :) I promised her a late Thanksgiving dinner when we go home for Christmas. We did have such a great time sitting with our friends The Erhardts who are moving back to the USA soon. So sad they are leaving.

After dinner at the club we drove around and looked at ALL the Christmas lights decorating our downtown area. Amazing and beautiful. Will post those photos later

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! gobble gobble

Singapore American School "Variety Show "Auditions

Yes, it's that time of year again for Miss Madeline...the auditions for the SAS Variety Show 2009!!

She's been working with a teacher at her dance studio, Miss Emily, for about a month and they choreographed a cute little dance for the auditions. She tried out last Monday after school, even though she has been very sick with a respiratory infection (which made her asthma flare up-horribly). She was adamant about trying out, and did not want to miss the opportunity. We will not find out if she makes it until right before Christmas and the show isn't until February. Here is the link of the video that I put up on YouTube so all our family could see it....

UPDATE: SHE MADE IT!! :) Just found out a few days ago and were are so excited and proud of her again! I sent her a text at school (during lunch hour) so she would know. :) Looking forward to an amazing fun entertaining show in Feb.

Late post...I took this photo on Nov. 1st

I am sooo late to post this, but just had the chance to upload some more photos off my camera. I was sitting at a light by our house, off of Orchard Rd. and here is what was staring at me on Nov. 1rst. Amazing how quickly they got up these decorations...and as of last week, the entire Orchard Road is LIT UP with lights for Christmas. Truly amazing.

Grant's last soccer game of the season

We had a crazy busy day yesterday, as Grant had his last Soccer game of the season, had a little end of season party, Maddie preformed at a school-wide event at SAS, and then she had Clara practice for the upcoming Nutcracker performance (yes, she was asked to be Clara again this year-so excited for her). PHEW...I am still tired as I am typing all of this.

Grant had a blast, they lost, but had so much fun. Our two coaches were so amazing with the boys and taught them how to play (as this is just 6-7 yr olds) but most importantly to have FUN. He got a cool trophy at the end of the game with his name on it, which he is SOO jacked up about! :)

Grant (he is on the far left) and his buddies; Aidan, Matthew and Cole


Grant and his coach, Coach Lascall (his friend Aidan's dad)

Halloween 2008

Deepavali and Little India Tour

Deepavali is the "Festival of Lights", and the celebration of good over evil, light over dark. The 1rst grade kids at the Singapore American School (SAS) took a field trip this past week to tour Little India and learn more about Deepavali ,as the Holiday is this Monday Oct. 27th.

It was a rainy day so our original plans were changed due to the weather. Instead we first took the kids for an Indian snack of poori (fried bread), potatoes, and mild dahl on a banana leaf.


Amazing how the kids are adventurous when their parents aren't around. Most of my friends swore their kids wouldn't try it, but I have photo evidence showing them eating it and LOVING it. :)

We then visited the Sri Veerama Kaliamann Temple where there were lots of school children, tourists and devotees wandering around. Everyone is accepted here, no one excluded and they are quite used to tourists, especially this time of the year. Before entering your senses are peaked as the sounds of Indian music and the smells of jasmine and oil lamp incense burning. The temple is decorated beautifully with garlands of flowers and fabric decorating the gods.




Our last stop was the Deepavali market at Campbell Lane. There are bangles, lanterns, handicrafts, costumes, henna stalls, and the ever popular peacock feathers. It seemed like every school in Singapore was having a field trip to Little India today, but it made for brisk business for the stall holders.




We were given a list of things to buy from their teacher, and the kids in my group were excited and loved searching for those items.


When they returned to school, a mother of one of the students in his class came in and did a presentation about Deepavali. She brought in traditional Indian spices, goodies, and henna. Grant learned so much and was excited to come home and share that knowledge of Deepavali to Brian, Maddie and I.

"Fall" in Singapore

It truly is hard to get into the Fall spirit when it is 87 degrees out, as I have mentioned before (many times I think).

The good news is that I DON'T miss having to layer turtlenecks and shirts under costumes, that's for sure! :) I also don't miss being so cold Trick-or-Treating that the kids don't last for many houses before they want to go inside and get warm.

But, I DO miss decorating my house with cornstalks and pumpkins. Feeling the crisp fall air and hearing the crunching of leaves under your feet. I also miss taking the kids to the local Pumpkin Patch and picking out our pumpkins and gourds.

People in Singapore don't decorate a lot with pumpkins, or if they do, they wait until the day before Halloween to carve it. It's just too HOT and humid to do it any sooner. Also, there aren't ANY pumpkin patches on this tiny tropical island...so the next best thing is to buy it at the grocery store....OR????..... at The Singapore American School. :)

The PTA ships over thousands, truly THOUSANDS of pumpkins to Singapore. They get cleaned and washed and put on display for people to buy, it is the greatest thing ever. And for the little kids, they have an annual Pumpkin Patch set up! It is amazing and so cute to see the kids walk into it. Some of these kids have lived abroad their whole lives and have never seen what a pumpkin patch might look like. Every year the PTA gals decorate a big room, fill it with tons of little pumpkins and gourds and every child from pre-school to 2nd grade goes to the Pumpkin Patch and gets to pick 3 things from the "patch" to take home.

Today was Pumpkin Patch day for Grant's 1rst grade class. It was nice to feel a little more like "Fall" -when you crank the A/C down...it was almost CHILLY in the Pumpkin Patch! BRRRRR!! :)

Big News for Miss Maddie!

After working/stretching/preparing for months and months...Madeline took her Pointe Ballet exam last week and passed! So proud of her! She was so excited, more excited than, well, almost like it was Christmas morning!!!

We had a wonderful informative meeting at her dance studio that helped her (and I) know about safety and how-to's for Pointe shoes. (I never was a dancer, so this a whole new world to me...)

She couldn't wait to have the ties sewn on and put them on for the first time. She looks so natural on them and very graceful. So proud of her!!

She also has her first JOB! She is an "Assistant Teacher" at her dance studio and helps to teach the little girls ballet/tap/jazz classes. She even got her first paycheck a few weeks ago-sad day when my 10 yr old is making more money than me! :) She is doing an amazing job keeping up with her studies and dancing 4 days a week. I think that being so busy forces her to be more organized and less time to procrastinate.

Congrats to sweet little Maddie, who is growing up WAY to fast. :(