Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival

We finally ventured over to Chinatown for the first time last weekend.  The Mid-Autumn Chinese Festival was just kicking off and used that as our excuse to explore this awesome part of town.

The Mid-Autumn festival is one of the biggest celebrated in China, as well as other neighboring nations where there is a large Chinese population.  Singapore is 75% ethnic Chinese, so the festivals here are huge and this one in particular has been taking place in Chinese culture for over 3,000 years!!

The festival is also known as the Moon Festival, because this is the time of the year that the moon is the roundest and brightest.  The ancient Chinese observed that the movement of the moon had a close relationship with the changes of the seasons and agricultural production.  So, to thank the moon and celebrate the harvest, they offer a sacrifice to the moon on mid-autumn days.

Nowadays, this annual celebration includes dragon and lion dances, lighting of lanterns, fireworks and indulging in moon cakes (a pastry made with a sweet filling made of red bean or lotus plant, with a salted duck egg yolk on top).  We didn't stay for all of the festivities as everything began after dark, but we did enjoy some good shopping, food and explored one of the Buddhist temples.  That was a first for me and it was impressive!  

Singapore is so cosmopolitan and in many ways western.  It's not dubbed "Asia Light" for nothing :) Chinatown represents the history of most Singaporeans, whose ancestors arrived in bumboats from China hundreds of years ago.  This area shows a much more raw, authentic and historic side of Singapore and I just loved it!  So happy to not see a Starbucks or Chanel in sight!!!

Proud to be an American

I am proud to be an American today and everyday.  I am thankful to have been born in a land of democracy and opportunity.  I am especially nostalgic today as an American living abroad.  As I watch the news coverage on TV, I miss home, but I am grateful...

I am grateful to have the opportunity to represent my country in this part of the world.  I feel a great responsibility every day to positively represent the US through my words and actions.  As an "anglo" living in Asia, I am constantly asked where I am from.  From the cab drivers who inquire about cowboys, to the doorman who is curious about the size of my US home, to my handyman who wants to talk about the US involvement in Syria, we are the world leader and people are interested!  I hope that I am a positive representation of my country in a place where America is a foreign concept and most will never have the opportunity to visit.

I am grateful for having such freedom and equality as a woman.  It amazes me how many women in this part of the world do not have the basic freedoms and justices that we are so accustomed to.  From the gang rapes in India, to the oppression in Indonesia and everyday violence in Africa, it is sad and seems so unfair that so many women must live in fear.  There is truly no better place to be a woman than in the America.  

I am also grateful to be living abroad in a country of tolerance and neutrality, where people of varying ethnicities, religions, cultures, race, can co-exist so harmoniously.  I think it is Singapore's true gift!  The country is a melting pot, where buddhists, hindus, muslims and christians live and worship side by side.  Where the blonde Australian, ethic Chinese, sari doting Indian and burka-clad Malay, can be found having lunch together.  Where there is an Arab mosque next door to an Hindu temple.  Where I have never felt scared.  There is a lot that the rest of the world can learn from Singapore.

So cheers to freedom, democracy, tolerance and peace on this 9/11.  Feeling grateful and proud from 9,310.9 miles away :0 !!!

Dengue Fever

Not what I wanted to see on my walk to the grocery store today!  But leave it to the Sing gov't to have banners warning the residents :)

There is apparently an outbreak of Dengue Fever on the north end of our street.  The infected area is really close to us, but does not include our condo building.

Dengue fever is an infectious tropical disease caused by the dengue virus.  It is carried by mosquitos and is most commonly found in tropical countries near the equator. It is endemic to Singapore and world-wide infects hundreds of millions of people each year!  From what I have heard, it is NASTY... high fever, joint and muscle pain and a rash like the measles.  There is no prevention for it (except insect repellant) and no treatment for it either.

There are numerous "hot spots" in the city, as I can tell from my very convenient "x-dengue" iphone app :) ( I swear that is an app for EVERYTHING here).  It shows the outbreak area (street by street), as well as how many cases have been confirmed.

Welcome to the tropics, time to bust out the OFF!

Sea Shipment

Our 4x4 air shipment arrived a few weeks ago and ahead of schedule!  We now have some additional clothes, toys, shoes, scooters, plus 10 sticks of deodorant, a paper towel holder (that doesn't even fit the tiny paper towels here) and 1 outdoor pillow.  I blame those random items on being in a serious moving coma at the time ;)

We are now awaiting our sea shipment and I'm kind of obsessed with it getting here!  As mentioned before, I am SO OVER the ugly, uncomfortable rental sofa, beds, etc.  I JUST WANT MY STUFF!!!

I want rugs so you don't hear a constant echo (and to drown out the noise from my loud kids), I want my own bed, I want my outdoor living room set so we can actually enjoy our balcony, I want more toys for my kids, I want my own pillow so my neck will stop hurting, I want the kids bedding so their rooms actually look like their rooms, I want my clothes as I'm over wearing the same 10 things, I want our HOME TO FEEL LIKE HOME!!

We were told the container would arrive in Singapore 6-8 weeks after the pack-up.  I am tracking our shipment on the MOL Prestige freighter, as you can see below.  Our container was railed to Norfolk for most of the month of August and has finally hit the high seas!!!!

As of today it is en route to southern Spain, followed by a swing through the Suez Canal, Sri Lanka and then to Singapore!  My furniture is going to have seen more of the world than I have :)  Once it arrives in Sing, it will have a few days in customs, then the movers will deliver to our place, probably around October 4.  CAN NOT WAIT!!!!!

On the Rails

Container

NYKU6446241

Container Size/Type

40'/DRY

Status As Of	Event	Location	Mode
AUG-27-2013 22:40	Vessel Departure	Norfolk, VA, USA	MOL PRESTIGE/037
Event Date	Event	Location	Mode
SEP-29-2013 23:00 (Estimated)*	Vessel Arrival	Singapore, SGP	MOL PRESTIGE/037
AUG-27-2013 15:07	Loaded on vessel at first port of load	Norfolk, VA, USA	MOL PRESTIGE/037
AUG-19-2013 23:50	Rail deramped at destination rail terminal	Norfolk, VA, USA	Rail
AUG-17-2013 17:00	Arrived at destination rail terminal	Norfolk, VA, USA	Rail
AUG-17-2013 16:45	Arrived at destination rail terminal	Norfolk, VA, USA	Rail
AUG-17-2013 15:45	Rail departure	Chesapeake, VA, USA	Rail
AUG-17-2013 15:30	Rail arrival	Chesapeake, VA, USA	Rail
AUG-16-2013 17:33	Rail departure	Columbus, OH, USA	Rail
AUG-15-2013 15:00	Departed from origin rail terminal	Chicago, IL, USA	Rail
AUG-15-2013 11:12	Departed from origin rail terminal	Chicago, IL, USA	Rail
AUG-15-2013 09:09	Rail loaded at origin rail terminal	Chicago, IL, USA	Rail
AUG-14-2013 03:36	Arrived at origin rail terminal	Chicago, IL, USA	Truck
AUG-06-2013 10:11	Empty container positioned to shipper	Chicago, IL, USA	Truck

Sailing the High Seas

Service: SVS - SVS Voyage: 037W
Port	Berth Date	Departure	Comments
Norfolk	AUG-27-2013 07:05	AUG-27-2013 22:40
Savannah	AUG-29-2013 06:24	AUG-29-2013 19:25
Jacksonville	AUG-30-2013 07:12	AUG-31-2013 01:30
Charleston	AUG-31-2013 14:30	SEP-01-2013 02:22
Algeciras	SEP-10-2013 02:00*	SEP-10-2013 16:00*
Suez Canal	SEP-15-2013 18:00*	SEP-16-2013 17:00*
Colombo	SEP-25-2013 05:30*	SEP-25-2013 23:30*
Singapore	SEP-29-2013 23:00*	SEP-30-2013 23:00*
Cai Mep	OCT-02-2013 11:00*	OCT-03-2013 01:00*
Hong Kong	OCT-05-2013 08:00*	OCT-05-2013 19:00*

Rainy Thursday

It really hasn't rained much since we've been in Singapore, maybe a stray afternoon shower or some overnight rain, but today was a total rainout!!  A good excuse to hunker down this morning, chat with my sis on the phone for an hour (yay!) and do some laundry.

I actually don't mind the rain as it brings a little breeze and cools things off a bit.  Let's see if I'm still liking it once monsoon season starts and we're wet for 3 months straight!

                             Kids didn't seem to mind while waiting for the bus this morning!  

Big Brands

Just when I start feeling really, really far away, I get a glimpse of home :)

Not to mention multiple sightings of the Gap, Forever 21, Gymboree, 7 Eleven, Chili's, Applebees, TGI Friday's, Outback, Crate & Barrel, Dunkin Donuts and of course 8 million Starbucks :)

Upgrades

While I don't have a finished basement OR a 3 car garage OR any storage, I have managed to get a few pretty sweet upgrades at our new condo....

Weekly mosquito fumigation :)

Not one, but two kitchens

 A wine fridge

Awesome marble sunken shower with rain head

Built in dry erase boards in kitchen

Our own elevator

Pools!!

Not to mention, the 24 hour security guards and groundkeepers / cleaning folks who keep this condo looking awesome!

Uni's

Love, love, love that the kids wear uniforms!  It takes so much guess work out of our mornings with not arguing over clothes!  They wear PE uniforms 2x per week, then the normal collared shirt w/ skirts or shorts on the other days.  They also each have a wide-brimmed hat that is kept at school.  All kids must wear the hat when they are outside to protect them from the sun.  No hat, no play, is the policy.  We also just out our school backpacks this week, so they are in Stamford gear from head to toe!

Sam the School Boy

I made a huge decision last week to start sending Sam to full-day Pre-K, rather than just half day!!
He was one of two kids who left the class at noon, while the rest of the class stayed for the whole day.  I also realized that his afternoons with me were kind of a drag on both of us!

Doing errands with me in the afternoon heat just wasn't his cup of tea :)  I also didn't want him stuck in the condo all afternoon, vegging out to the iPad, being bored.  Life in the city is just different, we have no park or play space close by, it's hard to get kids together for playgroups because most kids go to school all day and running errands with kids is just a pain due to the crowds, public transport hassles and heat.

I decided that school was the best place for Sam.  He gets another afternoon of PE, recess, music and library and really, really loves it!

He and Mia are on the same bus and sit by each other.  There is also an "auntie" on the bus who buckles everyone in and keeps the kids in line.  They are the quietest buses ever...don't mess with the aunties!!!!  Mia is doing a great job of watching out for Sam.  He usually sleeps on the bus ride home and Mia makes sure to wake him up "so we don't miss our stop."  :)

This has taken some getting used to on my end.  It's the first time in 5-1/2 years that I have not had a kids or kids with me during the day!  I kind of feel like I'm missing my right arm.  But I do know that we made the best situation, based on the circumstances here.

I must admit though, I am enjoying my long morning showers, leisurely sipping on my coffee and being able to run errands sans kids!  It's been a long time, but I think I can get used to it :)