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!

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!

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...!

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........

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.

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!  

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!