Sunday 30 March 2014

Marks Birthday

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to Maaaaaaark,
Happy Birthday to you!

its Marks birthday today so its especially nice that we have family over to see him on his special day. Mark hates birthdays so we normally keep them quite small, apart from the time we went to Edinburgh on a surprise trip, or when I've decorated the whole house, or when i've taken him out for dinner, or had a great big birthday tea with all of his favourite foods.  Ok, i don't do little birthdays at all!
We had cinnamon rolls and bacon for breakfast as a treat out on the patio and then headed down to Vivo to find a present Mark would pick out for himself.  Our visitors could get to see some shops and we'd also be able to show them Sentosa from the roof of Vivo.
When we arrived we immediately decided it was entirely appropriate to stop for a rest as we'd been circling the car park for a full 15 minutes prior to finding a space.  We were initially disappointed when our new car wouldn't arrive in time for people coming, but now we are happy we have the small one that can fit into tiny spaces.  We headed up to Starbucks to grab something cold and people watch before hitting the shops.
Marks first port of call was a gadget shop, but nothing appealed so we run an errand for my uncle and went to the camera shop...big mistake, huge mistake.  As soon as we got in Mark wanted whatever my uncle had and started asking about cameras and the different accessories he could get that would go along with it.
My aunty and i wanted to see some real shops aka clothes shops and went our own direction after waiting about for the men for too long.  We looked at some shorts in different places before i found the most beautiful maxi dress in Warehouse-one of my favourite shops in Scotland.  When the sales assistant asked if i was going to buy it for any occasion i replied it was for going to KK!  When i got to the counter, however, i found that there was a long pulled thread running right down the front.  booo, so i never got my new dress after all.
When we got home i started to make Marks birthday tea which took longer than i had originally guessed which meant we weren't able to follow our original plan of going to the animal safari.  Mark seemed to have a really good time and our visitors are still happy (and haven't been poisoned by my cooking just yet), so things are still looking good!


Saturday 29 March 2014

Lazy Day and Planning

Today was quite a lazy day as Mark and I headed up to the Navy Exchange for some groceries whilst our visitors took the opportunity to laze by the pool and sit in the warmth of our lovely Singapore sunshine and read or relax.
Whilst shopping we spotted Rob and Sarah who were also getting their big-shop in.  We were like 'kids in a sweet shop' picking up all of the items we had gone so long without, didn't think was normally good value or hadn't seen before.  
When we got back we decided to write down everything everyone wanted to do and arrange days to do them on.  I wish i had done this with my Mum and Grama when they came over as its really quite stressful trying to guess what things people will enjoy, and even worse-heartbreaking when they announce things aren't to their liking.
We now have three full weeks of things to do and it looks like the only time we'll be able to sit down is when we go on our holiday to kk!

Friday 28 March 2014

A Proper Welcome

Our visitors arrived safe and sound today at the appropriate time.  (After i thought they were 4 hours late, frantic phone calls to the airline, making Mark panic mid-meeting, and then finding out i was 24 hours wrong). We needn't have worried as the limo took them right to the house just before Mark arrived home.  The welcome to Singapore dinner went better than the arrival dinner my poor Mum and Grama got and my Aunt and Uncle seemed to be doing well after such a long flight.
After we chatted and got something to eat (and drink from those coconuts i spent ages trying to cut open) we went for a little drive around town and ended up going down Orchard Road to show off some of the sights of our new city.
We then headed down to Marina Bay to show off the hotel just when we noticed that it was getting quite close to the time we could park up and see the water, light and sound show.  We managed to find a space quite quickly so the men-folk played with their cameras whilst the women spoke about the shopping opportunities and the ladies nights at the sky bars.
Everyone seemed really impressed with the show, although being a Friday it was super crowded. Pasar Bella had also set up a pop up kitchen where the seating for the show is normally meaning people were more squished together than normal.
Afterwards everyone seemed exhausted and our guests were more than ready for bed and the start of a really fun three weeks! Fingers crossed...!

Thursday 27 March 2014

Delayed Flights, or Perhaps NOT!

Today was another day where i went into hyperdrive trying to make the house pretty and presentable for our visitors.  Although i'd like to think its always clean and tidy there is something that comes over you when you have guests that makes you question everything.  Oh no, a single petal has fallen off the flowers, what a mess!  The tv remote isn't back in the exact position it belongs, they'll think we're slobs!  The pillows haven't been fluffed up to the exact same height, i can't handle this...
And so on and so on....
Mark 'happens' to be working in KL again (just as the visitors are supposed to arrive...suspicious, i think so!)  This is probably actually a real blessing for our marriage as if he was working from home i would probably be really nagging and moan at him to help (at the same time as huffing because things weren't done the EXACT way i want them).  So i can accurately say its a good thing he has to work away.
The down side is there was a little bit of a hiccup in our communications with my Aunt and Uncle.  You see, we thought that they were coming out today, but Thursday is the day they are leaving the UK, this means that after many a panicked phone call to Mark we found out they were only in Birmingham.  The poor people at the airline were starting to get really sick of our concerns that they had mislaid two passengers....vi
Oh well, this gives me more time to fuss over teeny tiny details and get things sorted about the house.  Oh, and i need little tiny paper umbrellas for their coconut drinks i'm making or thats it, they might as well not bother coming at all........

Tuesday 18 March 2014

Chartering a Yacht for the Night

Some time ago, in January I think, Amanda had called me to ask my thoughts about a 'chartering a yacht' groupon voucher she had just seen.  We would have to get a group of people together, but she outlined the price and what activities were included depending on what time/day you chose to go.
After talking it over with Mark we agreed it was a fantastic idea and quickly signed ourselves up for it.  This Saturday evening was D-Day and we got ourselves ready for a night out on our own catamaran.  In all 16 people came along which i think worked out as a perfect amount of people.  The boat could take 30, but i think at that point it would be a bit too crowded and not everybody would have been able to get a seat outside or move about as freely.  As it was also a groupon voucher we were only allowed a smaller amount of people on board so that the crew still made money from the trip.
I mostly knew everyone on the trip, and those I didn't I quickly introduced myself to.  Now that we've been in Singapore for 5 months I'd met most of the couples at either the Christmas party, coffee mornings or 'girls night outs'.  Although like most times we go out in Singapore my facebook friends list has an leap in numbers afterwards as everyone is so friendly.  
One couple volunteered to have pre-trip drinks at theirs and the bus was organised to meet us there too.  We arrived a little late due to a banking disaster i will outline in a whole other post (oh the joys), so we weren't able to get the party started until we were on the bus.  Once we arrived at Keppel Bay Mark and I had a good look around.  We'd never been to this part of town, although we had heard that Prive was a nice place to eat.  We met up with some friends who had made their own way down and then were led to our vessel for the evening!  
We decided to take our own drinks for the evening, but wanted the crew to take care of our food.  There was an extensive package, but we all finally agreed to the Indian menu which worked out well divided up between all of us.  After our welcome and the obligatory safety instructions we left the harbour and made our way around the island and Sentosa towards St Johns Island.
We listened to music and chatted in groups as we left the city behind us.  The champagne came out, but seeing as neither Mark or I really drink we got ourselves some peach tea and toasted the trip with the others!
The sun started to set as we dropped anchor for the evening and we watched the moon come out before our supper for the evening was prepared.  There was lamb curry and fish curry, really flavourful rice and chicken as well as profiteroles for dessert.  We watched the moon, chatted some more and even danced to some tunes on the way back before watching the fireworks at Sentosa.
Everyone agreed this was something we really had to organise again and I found myself nodding with the others.  One of the most common things I say in Singapore is.."remember what we were doing this time last year?"  Every time it is said with a grateful heart and joy.  Every time it is said is because we have been given an amazing opportunity.  Sometimes I can't help but stop and look around while I count my blessings.  
On the way back to the 'after-party' Mark and I were nominated to organise the snacks as everyone had gotten a bit wibbly for some reason or other....  So whilst everyone settled down with some more fizz we got the cooker fired up and started filling it with some more nibbles.  We managed to stay for about another hour before we agreed it was time for bed.
Luckily as Mark wasn't drinking we were able to jump in the car and head back to the other side of Medway and arrived home in no time.  Daisy as always had an inquisitive face, and because she had been so good whilst we were away for the evening I took her out for the last time that night.  It's a pity dogs aren't allowed on board as she would have loved the wind in her face too!
If this boat ever comes up on groupon again I would definitely say to buy the voucher.  In hindsight I would have tied my hair up and worn either trousers or a long dress as I am not used to blustery days after living here for a while now.

Saturday 15 March 2014

Grand Prix 2014

We've bought our tickets for the grand prix in Singapore!  As we aren't avid followers we've gotten seats in the Bay Grandstand which is the cheapest of the grandstands.  I'm looking forward to just watching everything around us!  

Friday 14 March 2014

Daisys Morning

Daisy and I go for a walk every morning and evening.  I read that you shouldn’t let your pet outside if you find it too warm to hold the back of your hand to the pavement for more than 7 seconds, so we try to get out before it’s too warm each day.  (If you want to see some ideas for keeping your pet warm look here.)
We normally go for a walk around Medway Park as Daisy can’t go that far as it’s too humid for her, which means she’s exchanged her 5K walks in Aberdeenshire to about 2K here.  When Mark is able to take us all out for walks at the weekend I love to ‘show’ her new places to play, but as I can’t drive we spend the week together in our own little neighbourhood.
Today we found a new walk which is just a little bit away from our house.  I really love how open the space is and how quiet it is too.  I haven’t seen another person here meaning all this space is ours.  Daisy can stop and sniff anything she fancies and I can plan out the day or make mental lists in a wide open space.

This is my new favourite spot and I’m already planning an Easter picnic here!

Saturday 8 March 2014

Greek Food in Singapore

Mum took us out to Blu Kouzina which is an amazing Greek restaurant on Bukit Timah Road.  I was looking up great authentic food in Singapore, when I spotted that the CNN website pointed in this direction.  We all love Greek food so it was a no brainer and we booked our place for my Mum and Gramas last night in Singers. 
I would definitely say you have to book this place, it was jam-packed on a Thursday night, so save yourself the heartbreak and go to the website and book on-line as fast as you can.  It's quite small with only a 4 or 5 tables downstairs and then 8 or 9 on the first floor which is up a narrow staircase.  I only saw smokers outside and as it’s near the main road with no garden in between I wouldn't want to be outside or too near a window.  The atmosphere is wonderful though and it feels like you are sitting on an Ionian island with all of the white washed walls and sea blue shutters.
They have an on-line menu which shows that it is quite reasonable for a special occasion.  For example my favourite dishes of feta Psiti and moussaka were $14.80 and $26.80 respectively.  
The food was delicious and despite being told that it was best not to order a main per person (as the portion sizes were so generous) we ‘knew’ better and took some home in a doggy bag.
Have a look at the website here and book your visit asap!


Friday 7 March 2014

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye

Well, just a few short hours ago we waved my family off out of Changi and said goodbye for probably a year.  I was crying bucket loads and was of no use through-out the lack of pre-ordered wheel chair debacle, thankfully Mark is amazing in these situations.
Whilst we were waiting on somebody to take my Grama through the airport (my Mum already was taking both sets of hand luggage) we went to get our last coffee together for a wee while.  When the time came for our goodbyes Mark put an arm around me and said he'd take me where ever I wanted to go for dinner....wouldn't people normally pick somewhere fancy round about now?
I insisted on Chilis and drowned my sorrows into the pink lemonade, oh Mark you really know me too well!

And Breathe (as well as other post visitor chores)

Boy we've been busy. Sorry for being MIA for so long, I guess busy life means empty blog!
With visitors coming and needing entertained 24/7 (yeah, I did just want to crash out on the sofa)...
We've been to the Arab Quarter, China Town, the aquarium, Little India, Marina Bay, Boat Quay, Clarke Quay, Orchard Street and for lots of little walks around Gardens by the Bay (and satay by the bay), Pasar Bella, Vivo and Medway.
It's been great having family to chat to and show around the city.  It's so weird to think how only 5 months ago I didn't want to head out the door, now I love this place and love showing it off.  When asked about when we're planning to head back I do a shifty look and change the subject-there's so much to do here (and that's exactly why we've been absent!)

Wednesday 5 March 2014

Our New Car

As we are coming in to Singapore with Marks work we were given six months to import a car without the massive fees that normally come along with car ownership over here.  So far we've been renting from Avis and have been lucky enough to have had very few problems with renting for so long, but today Mark got the car he'd been wanting for ages.
Photo: Had to part with my hard earned for the new car. Managed to bag myself a great deal in Japan! Should be here in around 3 weeks and then on the road a week or so after when the a Singapore plates are fitted!
Welcome to the family new car!  We saw you on-line ages ago, but somebody else put a bid in and you were off the market as we just weren't quick enough.  However they dragged their feet and we managed to get you second time around.
For as little as I know about cars I really love this one, I love the size of it as well as the shape....ok, you can see straight through me.  What I love about this car is that there are two TVs that I can watch DVDs on.
Hopefully I'll be able to post again soon, we're super busy with visitors right now.

Tuesday 4 March 2014

Satay by The Bay - Great selction of food from all over the world!!


We have eaten at Satay by the bay a couple of times now and its fantastic. It’s based on a traditional Hawker Court (just a little more expensive to cater for the tourists) you browse the extensive selection of food on offer from Pizza & Pasta, Chilli Crab, Mediterranean, Indian, Chicken & Rice, Seafood and of course all the Satay Stalls.

We kicked off proceedings with a 45 piece platter from the Satay Stall. It comprised 15 Prawn, 15 Beef and 15 Chicken all served with bowls of spicy peanut dipping sauce. It was delicious and at $50 not too bad. There are a few cheaper stalls around but we stuck with the tried and tested stall from our previous visit. There is a huge queue on a Saturday & Sunday from around 7pm onwards but that just shows how popular they are! Things quieten down around 9:30pm(ish)


We then tucked into a Tandoori Mixed Platter. There were four of us so we opted to buy two full platters, 3 nan breads and two portions of rice. This came to $60 but again not too bad when you consider four of us all ate like kings and felt comfortably full afterwards. The tandoori is excellent and well cooked. The base of onions and vegetables soak up all the juices and was delicious with the rice.

We visited the fresh juice stall a couple of time and with a fruit juice costing around $1 it was very good value.


All things considered Satay by the Bay is my new favourite eating place, great food, lovely location, super views and a welcoming breeze off the water.






POINT TO NOTE : During really busy period don’t sit too close to the Satay vendors as it gets really Smokey!!




Monday 3 March 2014

Satay with Visitors

Ok, so by now you know we are addicted to Satay by the Bay.  I'm thinking of changing the blog title, really, we just can't help it.
So we are well and truly into our first set of visitors being here and are super busy.  Mark has lots of days off, but we pretty much get up and get going.  By the time it comes to tea time and heading home I am pushing past a wall of extreme tiredness by making the quickest meal I can.
My Mum and Grama are only here for little over a week, so I am trying to show them as much as possible as there is so much to see.  Tonight Mark took us out to Satay by the Bay for a feast so that I would not only have no cooking to do, but no clearing up after either.
(Mark..?  Why aren't I one of those rich housewives that have a helper and go out for brunch every day?)  Ok, well seeing as he is being entirely unreasonable (read-normal) I will be thankful for what I have....
and what I have is a very full tummy after this massive feast.  Urgh...I can't move....


Worlds Most Expensive City

Whilst checking into Facebook this morning before getting the iPad ready for some breakfast time reading (yep, still trying to get into Divergent), I saw that Singapore had been named the worlds most expensive city. Any news page that said this was circling all my friends 'shares':

"Singapore has topped 131 cities globally to become the world's most expensive city to live in 2014, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)." From the BBC
131? That's a lot. Apparently the survey was made up of 'cost of living' along with some other things. I always feel like we're really normal seeing as we aren't super rich expats in a penthouse apartment, however we are afforded many luxuries compared to others.  I complain about things like the cost of groceries when there are so many other people way worse off.

I remember trying to find out how expensive things were before we came here, groceries can be expensive when buying western from expat shops (like market place or even cold storage), housing is costly, as is a car. 

However I've found our phone line and tv package to be good value, as well as eating out in hawkers. I love grabbing hawker food while out in a mall, near HBDs or even in tourist traps. Hawker food is the best, yeah of course I want a burger or pizza occasionally, but Mark and I can stuff ourselves for $20 (or eat like regular people for $10 at a local place).  I love how good value transport is and although I'm from Scotland and we get A LOT for nothing, there are so many great parks to see for free.

I'm not saying that things aren't bad for locals, I know what I read and what I've heard. However expats coming here have nothing to worry about regarding the EIUs findings.

S.E.A. Aquarium

One of the things that my Mum and Grama really liked the look of when looking up things to do in Singapore was the S.E.A. Aquarium on Sentosa.  We always thought that going on a weekday would be much preferable to pushing and barging our way through weekend crowds and with my Grama with us I really didn't want to have people rushing her to see things.
I didn't bother to check where we could park on the island as seeing as practically the whole place was a tourist trap i thought it would be very well signposted...first big mistake.  We'd went onto Sentosa before by accident and the toll booth guy kindly waved us through and told us where to turn around to get back onto West Coast Road.  So this time, fully intending a trip to Sentosa, we headed to the toll booths, asked for directions to the aquariums parking and headed off in the general direction he told us to go.
Unfortunately i thought parking would be a similar set up to Disney World or Universal in Florida, so when we didn't see giant car parks or signs we got a bit panicky.  After going back for help twice we eventually parked at The Hard Rock Hotel and found our way out of that resort.
Once we did get to the aquarium we found it was a very short queue for tickets and a very easy stroll into the venue.  There was a small show about how Chinese traders would travel the globe and the treasures at the bottom of the ocean.  There was a small cafe and the turn styles to get into the actual aquarium.  Once through we walked past displays of items that would have been traded from and with Asia and then went into another theatre with had a show about a storm and a ship sinking.  It was quite good as when we left the theatre we found we had sunk to the bottom of the ocean and were underground to start viewing the fish.
There was a giant display cabinet showing a capsized ship in the window and lots of different types of fish swimming about around it.  This window had no information about the fish on it, but was just beautiful to watch.
The more we walked around the more we saw and learnt about the fish.  They were split into geographic areas so that we saw lots of tropical fish, colder climate species, and then jelly fish.  This led us onto a giant glass wall which we stared at for ages.  The only problem with the place was that there was a distinct lack of seats.  Even the cafe areas were standing or bar stools which didn't work out to well for all of our party.
Mark could have stayed there all day he loved it so much, but because i got confused about where to walk to at one point i made everyone miss the observation area that was in a circular room.  It was only a different way to view the giant glass wall, but i feel bad i made everyone miss it all the same.  Its behind this wall that the restaurant was, however i didn't fancy chowing down on fish seeing as where we were ("fish are friends, not food" as one shark once said in Finding Nemo)
We had a snack at one of the standing cafes, and we completed the second part of the tour a lot quicker.  We were starting to get tired feet and wanted something real to eat.
We definitely have to come back here.  It was $38 pp and could easily keep you entertained during the hottest hours of the day when you are looking for something to do.  If you don't mind sitting on the floor or being on your feet all day you will certainly have a great time.
 Its very superficial, but i loved the more colourful fish best, and whizzed past the boring old grey ones, but i guess everyone has their favourites.
Of course a couple of my favourites were Dori and Nemo...the busiest of all windows!
The very last exhibition was the shark tank which you had to walk through.  We took a few snaps but had already seen the ice cream stand (quite literally) at the end of the tunnel and so sped off in that direction.
 At $9 per small average tasting tub it was a bit much, but we were ready for something to eat.  We mooched around (seeing as there was nowhere to sit) to eat it before venturing into the obligatory gift shop at the exit.  My Mum and Grama picked up a few things for my Brother and then we went off in the search for real food.
So for any other visitors coming our way you WILL be taken here.  Just look at this little guy, cute or what?