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After being without internet for so long i have so many posts i need to catch up on for family who read this blog....sorry for all the back dated posts!!

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Things I’m glad we took to Singapore

Reading other peoples blogs gave me a wealth of information and knowledge that I am so grateful for.  One of the reasons is that its probably saved us a small fortune.  Here are some of the things I’m glad I read up on as they are disproportionately expensive when compared to Scotland…aka Things I’m Glad We Took To Singapore

• Toothpaste

At about $8 for a small tube I’m pleased that I packed enough for 2 years.  Most tubes in the UK cost about £1-£1.50 when bought on a deal, so I in no way regret dragging Mark out to the shops the night before the movers came to pack our cupboards with the stuff!

• Good Shampoo

Pretty much See Above.  I have long hair and like swimming which means my hair gets very tangled and can look like ‘rat tails’ easily.  For as frugal as I have always been, I need good shampoo.  It’s quite expensive here so I’m glad I stocked up.  In all honesty it’ll probably only keep me going until the end of summer, but I will have saved an awful lot by then.

• My Own Kitchen Equipment

Ok, this is a half ‘wish I brought it’ and half ‘glad I brought it’ item.  I took most of my kitchen stuff as I knew I would have a good sized kitchen to put it in.  I took all my pots and pans and really missed them when they were still being shipped to us.  I am really grateful for everything I did bring.  However I was on the cusp of buying a really cute kitchen aid in the UK.  I thought about how I wouldn’t be working and how much more I would be pottering about in the kitchen as I really love spending time doing this.  We put it off as it wouldn’t arrive in time and just assumed we’d buy some things in Singapore where shopping is a national hobby.  We can buy these things here…no doubt about it, half a dozen shops will sell you these kitchen implements and utensils here.  They will just be very, very expensive.

• Pictures/Things That Make Your House A Home

So many people have commented on how much ‘stuff’ we brought along with us and how they wish they had brought more little personal items of their own.  This is the only thing on this list I can take credit for.  In my opinion if you are moving somewhere you still want it to feel like home, so I brought things I’d want in my home no matter where in the world it was.  This includes Christmas things, I would have went with an empty house at Christmas rather than pay a fortune for things here.  I am so glad we brought our own trees and ornaments.

Well that’s it, but I am sure I will add things over time.  Hopefully this helps if you are moving to Singapore!

RDA and The Polo Club

The other day I was invited to go along to help out with the Riding for the Disabled Association of Singapore by Amanda ( aka, the hostess with the mostest who held the pot luck dinner). I'm pretty scared of horses and was never a little girl that just loved ponies so deep down I was a bit apprehensive. However, I did think it would be great excuse to get out and see people. With Mark being away from home I also really needed something to speak about when he came back from KL.
Amanda asked that I be there for 8am as she was organising us getting a lift there, so this would be an early start for me. I dragged myself out of bed bright and early then headed off to Amanda's early as we planned to get so coffee in ourselves first. Amanda hadn't been sleeping so well, so when I went round she said that she had rearranged plans so that she'd drive us there herself. She'd also organised for Tcina, another newbie, to come along too. At this my ears pricked up....."someone newer than myself? Why wasn't I told?" Hmmm, long story short, Mark hadn't been taking the new 'phone numbers list' home...grr.
After our shot of coffee we got in the car and headed off up North near the MacRitchie Reservoir just off Thomson Road. It's so pretty and leafy there and it's surprising to see so much space in this little island. When we arrived at the RDA we got to look around and watch the horses as well as volunteers setting up for the riders. Tcina and I got to chat a little and arrange a day out the next day as we obviously weren't allowed to jump into the arena. After filling out some forms we were allowed to shadow the side walkers which was really interesting and gave me a taste for helping out in future.
After such a busy morning Amanda invited us round to The Polo Club where her family has membership. Tcina and I were more than willing to dip into the pool or laze on a lounger and sip cool drinks. I loved the juxtaposition of swimming along, looking over the field to the sky-scrapers beyond.
After a bite to eat (satays....what else?), Amanda showed us Turf City and a really cool looking reclamation yard. Turf City is somewhere I am going to have to go with Mark, I think he will love how quiet the Giant is there and I really need to have a better look around Paserbella, which is like a really pretty market.
All in all this is shaping up to be my busiest week so far. December is certainly looking a whole lot better than November and I love how full my days are getting.

The MRT and a look at Vivo City

On Monday I found out how to use the MRT and overcame a massive fear, I also got to spend the day with Sally who very kindly showed me how to use the MRT and therefore let me overcome such a giant fear.  I’d been spending a quite a bit of time around the house and had started to think this whole move malarkey was pretty boring.  It consisted of me cleaning the house and walking Daisy around Medway.  (Well duh Sheila, those things are boring.  What’s not boring is getting out of the house and exploring).  At the Christmas Party we had the most people come and chat to us since the pot luck dinner.  Along with all of the kind well-wishers was Sally who very sweetly enquired not only how I was doing, but what I had been doing.  (Possibly a very clever trick to make me prove I was doing fine and getting out of the house).  When Sally found out I hadn't been out and about beyond my local Fair Price she immediately set about planning something to keep me busy. 

Well Monday came around and we walked to the local MRT station, which in my case is Dover.  It’s quite a walk away which is why Mark got the car, but it is close enough if I don’t have shopping.  We have to walk through the Singapore Polytechnic which I had checked out on Google maps.  On seeing the path there I thought I wouldn't even dare to venture out, but Sally showed me a really easy way to get into the station.

We’re on the green line and had decided that for our day out we would go to Vivo City so we only had to switch once onto the circle line.  I’d already been given a card to load up from Claire who I had gotten chatting to at the pot luck dinner, so I didn't have to pay the $5 for that.  I only needed to top up my card and get going.  It was really easy and so well signposted I wonder what I had been so afraid of.  I love seeing everything out of the window on my part of the green line and it’s definitely helping me to orientate myself around this place.

When we’d gotten to Vivo City Sally showed me around and explained that it was set out like three interconnecting circles which she assured me would mean it would be more difficult for me to get lost.  We then grabbed a coffee and chatted before having another look around and then lunch at the food court downstairs.  I tried to order chicken rice, but think I got something completely different.  Oh well, I guess I need to do more than point in future!  Whatever I had was really delicious and did have chicken and rice as part of it, so I guess I couldn't go far wrong.  The whole court is amazing and I can’t wait to take Mark there for a very cheap feast.

On the way back Sally said she would show me the Cold Storage at Fusionopolis which isn't too far away from us by car.  We got off at One North and walked round to the shops and as Sally had organised for her husband to pick us up and take us home, I was able to get some heavier things I didn't really want to get without Mark.

I don’t quite know what was so frightening about the MRT, but I assure you it is super easy to use.  It’s so quick, cheap and there are so many signposts around it makes me wish I had gotten out ages ago.  I can’t wait to jump on and see where each stop takes me!

British High Commission Christmas Party

On Friday the 6th December we attended the BHC Christmas Party at Eden Hall which is the official residence of the High Commissioner. This place is stunning and Sheila has posted about it under the post "Coffee Morning". There were just over 140 people from all areas of the High Commission (refrered to as the Mission) and it was a great opportunity for us to meet and mingle with people. We had a traditional Christmas Dinner with all the trimmings and I have to admit that I even had seconds!! I however did not have any pudding so I feel better about having another plate of Turkey!! We had a great time and arrived home just after 1am.

This is Sheila and I posing outside Eden Hall :

This is the Grand Ball Room upstairs all set up for the dinner :

Sheila looking lovely :

Meeting New People

Being an expat is difficult in a way I just didn't imagine when I was sitting in the UK surrounded by people I knew.  When you're an expat you have to introduce yourself, not like in the UK, here- you have to introduce yourself daily.  Everyone you meet is new, and that can be really exciting.  But everyone you meet is new, and that can be REALLY tiring.  Tiring in that nobody just 'gets you', because nobody knows you.

Academy friends

I have been blessed to have met some really great people.  When I was in academy I had a little group of friends that lived in each others pockets.  When I joined the ATC that group grew.  We had adventures together and knew each other really well.  There were 'in jokes' and back stories, and classes together and walks home and hanging out.  There were camps and trips and evenings talking until our throats were sore.

University friends on my wedding day

My two best friends from University were my bridesmaids on our wedding day and they supported me 100% during my totally irrational freak outs in the run up to The Big Day.  They were there all the way through Uni and I have so many happy memories from my time then.

Night out with my Uni girlies

So many classes together, or hiding out in the library trying to find sources.  Many walks and tears and laughing so hard that my sides were sore and my stomach was hard like I'd had a workout.  They know me so well and we can sit together without saying a word or we can talk and learn and grow from those chats.

Post Grad friends

Being an expat means having nobody like that.  When you're an expat you have to start again and this is a challenge.  I'm a happy introvert.  I'm quite happy to be quiet and read or potter away on my own.  I love being with a group of people, but I am more than happy in my own company.

FLASH! But still friend from Uni Job

However, now I'm playing a whole other ball-game.  I need to get on with it and start introducing myself some more.  Nobody knows me, but I'm never going to have anyone know me if I sit quietly at home pottering about.  Its something I didn't even think about in Scotland.  It's something I totally took for granted.

Work friends

If, however, God grants me with even one person to chat away happily with, I will try my hardest to never take them for granted.  I will remember what its like to not know anyone, and to constantly re-introduce myself.  Until then I guess I'm just going to have to get out of the front door and get talking.

Its Official - We are Diplomats in Singapore!!

Its taken a few weeks but at long last our official documentation has arrived and both Sheila and I have Diplomatic Status in country! What exactly does this mean, in all honesty I don't really know. I am aware that it give us certain privileges with housing, working and the car ownership issues. I'm sure as time marches on we will learn much more!