Shannon Broke Up With Me!

well ok, not really..... but she did go to Texas for two weeks!  Right when we start having fun.  So before I get bored without her, I have decided to post my own thread on the expat forum today.  Hope I get some responses.  


Wednesday, Rach took Shannon and I to the expat coffee morning group.  There were around twenty women that attending.  I met girls from Baltimore, NJ, Australia, UK, Russia, and New Zealand.  I really enjoyed going, and am glad I have something to every Wednesday now!  

Wednesday coffee morning group

Yesterday, I had my first cooking class!  It was at a cute cafe called The Pantry.  We cooked with partners and learned to make a Green curry from scratch and mango sticky rice.  After we got to eat what we made.  Yumm-O!! Too bad both things I learned to make have coconut milk in them and Greg hates coconut milk.  Next week, the teacher is taking the class shopping to the Thai grocery store to help us purchase all the ingredients so we can re create the dishes at home.  

Gucci and Prada, Hermes! OH MY!

Another adventurous day in Singapore.  I met up with Rach, the girl we had brunch with at the German place on Saturday.  Rach's husband and one of my co workers at PS 165 grew up together.  Ever since I was introduced to Rach via Facebook she has been extremely helpful.  Anyway, I started on the what should be thirty minute walk to meet Rach.  One thing you have to understand about Singapore are the underpasses.  You can't cross many roads from the street level and therefore have to go underground in the underpass. Guess what the underpasses are?  Thats right! A mall.  So while all I am doing is attempting to exercise and meet a friend for a two dollar cup of coffee I have Chanel bags, DVF wrap dresses, and Cartier diamonds all being shoved in my face!  It is very hard not to stop in these underpasses, just for a look.  So what is supposed to be a quick walk, usually turns into hours.


Anyway, back to Rach.  We met at Plaza Singapura, its the mall that first reminded me of mall madness.  We had a coffee and Rach took me to her apartment to show me around.  Greg and I are apartment hunting.  We will be in our service apt until we leave for the US in December  and plan on coming back to a  new place in Singapore in January.  

Rach on I on my first ride on the MRT!  

After seeing her lovely apt, Rach and I headed off to the Thai area.  I am not sure if it is an area or just the one big shopping center we were in.  To get there we took the MRT, which is the local train or subway.  It was the first time taking it for me.  Everyone told me how clean and easy it was, but I wanted to go with someone the first time.  Rach taught me everything I  need to know about navigating the MRT.  The only tough part is knowing where to exit and not getting lost in the malls, bc they too are the entrances and exits for the trains.  The MRT is nice, much nicer than subways in NYC.  It is clean, air conditioned, and your phone works!   So, we get to the Thai area on the MRT and go to a grocery store.  People here love grocery stores.  Rach took me around and explained everything to me.  I probably said, "ooh, what's this?"  100 times. I need to know all this so I will have a head start at my cooking class Thursday.  Did I forget the mention Rach is Thai?  After the grocery we went for  a Thai lunch of soup, some type of basil chicken, papaya salad, and mango sticky rice.  Best Thai food yet.  


After lunch we headed over to Mustafa. Mustafa is a huge, and when I say huge I mean like four blocks long and five stories high, shopping mall.  Imagine a really big Target in Little India.  Mustafa has everything you could ever imagine.  Things here are much cheaper than in other parts of the city but you must endure the intense smells of the locals to get your deals.  I got some Bounty paper towels, plastic cups, face wash, baby powder, lotion, and soy milk for 54$ and that is a deal folks!


I took the MRT home all by myself where I found my grocery had been delivered and someone in my apt complex had put them away!  I told you the service here is tough to deal with.   After a quick trip to Jasons, the local expat grocery, for a few last minute items, I cooked dinner, had a glass of wine, and waited for Greg to get home.  Forgot to tell you, I got Monkey Bay on clearance for 18$  woo hoo!  I have figured out to keep up my lifestyle from home it is a base 30$  a day just in wine and calling cards.  Greg and I ate dinner, attempting to watch PR again, booked our trip to Bali, and passed out by 11.  

Chinatown

Sri Marimmian Temple 

In front of Buddhist temple.

Shannon and Hannah inside temple.  

These Buddhas lined the entire walls inside the temple.  There were thousands of them.

So today I went exploring chinatown with my new friend Shannon.  We had a great time, until the bottom fell out of the sky.  We walked around lots of cool stands, ate a nice lunch outside, and went to a buddhist temple.  We wondered around the temple for more than hour.  It was amazing!

It is not snowing in Singapore

Our weekend

• We ate Thai food.

              

• We had brunch with friends and drank German beer. 

 (My gang sign is a  w for Weiss)

• We laid by the pool, happy not to be in a NY snowstorm.

• We had tiger prawns at a white guy hawker center.

Hawker center stall.  Look at the picture and point to what looks good.

Tiger prawns, noodles, and some greens.  You don't know what you are eating half the time.

• More pool time.  Sad for our cold NY friends with out power. 

• Went to brunch with some friend at Ion Orchard.   

Greg in front of Ion mall.

Me enjoying a mango snow ice after brunch.

• Met new friends.
• Went to Greg's bosses house and met his adorable three year old twin boys.
• Went to sleep by 9pm every night.  

Dating in Singapore

So there are many ways to meet new girlfriends here; bars, friends of friends or on an expat discussion website.  I have been checking these out for the weeks prior to coming to Sing and thought, "Do people really do that?"  Its like a personal add for friends.  Threads include 20 something crew, expat wives, new to Singapore, and so on.  I like to think of these as match.com for newcomers here.  I have always encouraged my friends to join dating sites so felt like it was time for me to put my money where my mouth is and started exploring the  match.com  of Singapore for some new friends.  


  I was a little scared reading some of the threads, much like my friends feel when exploring new mens profiles.  Then I came across a 29 American female, new to Singapore, stay at home wife, from Texas.  I have to admit I felt a little bit like a loser when I pressed send to reply to her message.  


So I am learning much like match, you find friends you are interested in and email them.  If they like you they email you back.  Next, you might exchange numbers and text.  Finally, you get to meet them in person.  Today was that day for me!  I went on my first friend date!  



 I thought for sure she would be crazy, weird, or that sake a large asian man who would kidnap me.  Shannon just moved here from Texas and was a teacher there too!  I was so surprised for my dating experience to go so well on the first try.   We met in a mall, a  large public place, important for a first date.  We had a coffee, saw a movie, and got a mani/pedi.  Great day!  Also, Shannon showed me around one of the grocery stores. 

Black chicken????

Tons of fresh seafood!

YAY for my first date and first new friend in Sinapore!

More happenings:

• Greg and I went to a Greek restaurant for dinner where plates were smashed and people danced on tables.  Here is a very unclear video, but you can get the jist.

• I will have my first chili crab tonight!  Its a Singapore specialty!
• We have a couples lunch date tomorrow!
• It rains everyday here.
• Cabs are cheap.
• In case anyone was worried, I am beginning to  adjust to the daily maid service.  Its been tough, but I think I will be ok. 

                                            

Mall Madness and Chicken Rice

So remember that game, Mall Madness?  I loved it and played it religiously with Sarah Ellis, Britney Cantrell, and Annie King.  Well, Mall Madness was totally made in Singapore to look like all the malls here.  Multi level malls are everywhere.    I was in one today and I swear I heard the ladies voice from the game, "There is a sale at the Electronics Boutique."  


Cell phone arrival tonight!  Singapore is shady and you can't get anything done unless you are a local.  I spent four hours trying to figure out a stupid phone and it took Greg's co worker five minutes! I am learning fast and will ask before trying to do much on my own.  


Very important first today.  My first Singapore chicken rice.  Greg has been raving about this stuff since his first trip here.  His co worker (same guy from above) took us to a local hawker stand.  I learned here  they do not call them napkins.  You say tissues and you have to bring your own.   The chicken rice was wrapped in paper and was delish!  You know its a good hawker stand if there are no white people around.  

Greg getting his wife some chicken!

My first chicken rice and grass drink and of course, tissues.

More fun things from today:  

I went to Ikea.  I rode in a taxi all by myself.  I played bejeweled for an hour while waiting for the cell phone store to open.  I made a friend date for Sat and Monday, with two different people!  I got invited for coffee with an ex pat women's group.  I payed 45$ for a dress at Forever 21!  I started unpacking while listening to lots of country music.  

If you are reading this, be sure to leave me some comments.  Its will be more fun to keep this up if I know people are reading.  

oops meant to include these in the post

Cute little boat in Clarke Quay.

Greg, super jet lagged at Cuba Libre!