March Update

It has been a while since I have sent an update....sorry about that! It has been pretty busy couple of weeks as I have been interviewing and getting our housekeeper on board. First of all, I wanted to say that I have been blessed with the many interview opportunities that I have had through various networks. Given the multiple offers received, my new home will be BHP. My start date is April 19, after we come back from Phuket! Needless to say, I am excited about going back to work but at the same time sad as my vacation is over! :O)

We went back and forth on having a live-in housekeeper but finally decided to go ahead with it. She is nice and a quick learner. We like that she will actually play with Alex. We are teaching her how to cook American and French food. Also, she has never had pizza nor used an oven so all this is new experience for her. So watching her learn can be pretty entertaining at times. Anyhow, we didn't know if we were be bother by not having privacy but it is actually working out, she is very discrete. What we like the best is that the house is cleaned everyday! It is amazing! Everything gets put away magically! :O) Anyhow, Etienne and I were able to enjoyed going out as it has been a while!

So Etienne and I were able to sneak out during Alex's nap time to watch a movie! It is nice to have someone at home watching Alex. Anyhow, going to the movie is a simple thing so you think no big deal.....well, as we were buying the tickets, they assigned us seats......Yes, assigned seats at the theater! We didn't know what to say. So as we walked into the movie theater 5 minutes prior to the start of the movie, it was empty so we ignored the seat assignment and sat where we wanted. Well, 5 minutes into commercial, we got kicked out of our seats and had to go sit in our assigned seats! LOL So, let me explain how this works......the good seats are assigned and the close up seats near the screen are open! I felt as thought we were at a concert or game with assigned seats! Even the movie theater is controlled........that is Singapore for you!

Another shocking update is that our stroller got stolen right in-front of our door. Can you believed that? Everyone leaves strollers at their front doors, you actually see this everywhere you go in Singapore but ours got stolen. It had been gone for over two weeks. The first thought that crossed our mind was that our mean neighbor probably took it because we reported them to the condo management on their barking dogs. We actually wanted to go inside their balcony to see if they had taken it but did not. Anyhow, Etienne decided that to put flyers all over the condo with a $50 reward Well, that same night, we received a called that they had found it! WHAT?!!! They said it was found behind the stairs....are you kidding me......it just magically appeared!!! So now, everything is inside the house!

We typically eat at home during the weekdays but will venture to our VIP restaurant on Fridays. So, I would pick Alex up from school and we would head to the restaurant to meet Etienne. Well, the way we get there is by train around 6pm. During this time, the train are packed like sardines and if there is someone nice enough, they will get up from the reserved seats and let Alex and I sit. Since my sweet little Alex is speaking more and more, he put his hand in-front of him, shake it and said, "Too many people!" in front of everyone. I just about busted out laughing but refrained. He told me that people need to leave and that it was too noisy! Kids, gotta love them......they are so honest!

Since I am still enjoying time off, I have managed to meet a few people who I can have a nice lunch and enjoy some shopping! It has been great! This week, I had lunch at Chilli's! Can you believed that? It actually does taste the same as in the states. I was amazingly surprised! They actually serve USDA beef and the chip and salsa was good.....haven't had salsa since Nov 2009. Given that it is pricey to eat crabs in restaurants, we decided to buy it and cook it at the house. We made the famous Chili crabs and it was delicious! If we can master the bread that goes with it, we are all set! Also, found a place to have amazing dim sum....FINALLY! WE will be heading there for the upcoming birthday celebration for Etienne and Alex!

Week 11

For Chinese New Year, people become a little (lot) crazy here! The entire country shuts down for about a week except for the international coffee shops and restaurants. This is no joke! So to get ready for the Chinese New Year, they all go shopping for food, desserts, and clothes
(including PJs, shoes, underwear, etc). Basically, it is the start of a new year so if you can have everything new, that should be the way to go. Oh, everywhere you go during this time, they sell sweet oranges everywhere. You don't just buy one, you buy by the case (12 to 24).
The reason for this is that you give 2 to your guests and in turn they give you 2. Even numbers are positive and lucky. In theory, if you wanted to, you can use the same two oranges everywhere you go! LOL!!

Prior to this holiday, I had the pleasure of taking a tour of Chinatown with a local tour guide. She was great and does it for free. She made sure that we are bargaining and didn't get ripped off! If you are evert here for Chinese New Year, do not buy anything until the day before as there are large discounts to get rid of everything. If you go grocery shopping or use a service, they will jack up the price 2-3 times and this is ok! I was shocked. The vendors are not even ashamed of telling you their New Year prices!

I think the condo is finally getting to a repair free stage. It just never ceases to amaze me on how they do things. For example, to get the wood floor fixed, we have 3 person looking at it. What for? Finally, the whole in the concrete wall has been fixed however, the leak above us has not. The Chinese people above does not want the condo management to cut out a section of the patio walls to fix the leak. For goodness sake, it is outside plus they will patch it up and it will look like new! I am just shocked. Therefore, in order to prevent the leak, they have to come every Sat to drain the water. Is that not crazy?!!! Our owner is complaining so hopefully, we will have a permanent fix someday!

So given that our condo is not near the bus or train station, the condo provides free shuttle service to take us to these places. Well, we got a letter stating that the free shuttle service is over and that we are have to start paying $15 a month per person. But here is the catch, if they don't get a minimum of 400 people to ride or that # falls below at any given month, they will cancel it! Given that most of the people here don't have cars, what in the heck are we suppose to do?!! Also, since this condo is new, there is definitely no 400 people living here so the whole system was set up to fail! People, think!!! It is very frustrating. I have voiced my concerns to the condo management so we shall wait to see what they say. Hopefully, they can find another bus service.

Also, in order to enjoy our patio, we have to get an outdoor umbrella as it is hot here. We went to a place where everyone recommended and they wanted $900 USD for an umbrella. Are they for real? For that price, it better be able to set it up by itself. geeeeshhhh Therefore, we went elsewhere and got it for $115 USD. It is nice as we can sit outside now when there is wind......very little by the way! Oh well!

As for our unpacking, we are 95% complete. Of course, we have extra furnitures that will just have to stay in the box until our next move! However, thank goodness that there is a salvation army here. They came and picked up 3 big boxes of things we don't need anymore. Once we return to the states, we may not have so much which is probably a good thing!

Of course, living anywhere is an experience but I think Singapore is special! Our blogs of Singapore is personal, emotional, and funny. I am happy that we lived amongst the locals and is able to experience the good and the bad. For examples, it took me 30 min to get a taxi in this heat......I was already in a bad mood. Finally when I got one, I told the taxi driver that we are going to make two stops.....one to Alex's school and one to our condo. Note, all this was spoken in Chinese. As
we arrived to the school, I told him to wait and he said, What? You never told me that it was two stops, I don't have time to wait." I told him, "which language did you not understand? If you don't wait, I will not pay you." Of course, he was pissed. Finally, Alex and I reached our condo and the best I could do was to kill him with kindness. Why do people have to act that way to begin with???!!! Also, I think my most funniest moment yet is at the train station this past week. I was at a
station where there was hardly anyone waiting. But then a few elderly came up and so I thought I will let them go first. So when the train arrived, there was no one on it. Well, this old man who was walking lopsided came up and let me tell you when that train opened up, I have never seen an elderly move sooooo fast that he even pushed the other elderly. Then of course, the other elderly moved so quickly too that I barely even have time to get on. If you know the game called Musical
Chairs, this is the picture that you can just imagine. So of course, I didn't get a seat! I was laughing so hard wished that I could have recorded this. You really have to fend for yourself when going anywhere here!

I have also learned that when a government condo is being built, a race number is put in place. This means that a condo can only have a certain # of Chinese, Malay, Indians, Foreigners, etc. The government does want one race to congregate just one condo. They have force integration here! Amazing! Surprisingly, this works!

Also, most places still only takes cash and it you used your credit or debit card, you are impose a fee. So, I tried to open a checking account, well, the bank told me that there is a $2 monthly admin fee. What for? She said since the checking will be linked to your savings account, you have to maintain a $2000 USD balance. I am thinking no problem. But then she said, if you fall below that, you are assessed another $2 and if you cancel the account within 6 months, you will have to pay $20. Everything is about money here, nothing is free, I can certainly tell you that!

As I mentioned before, the weather here is the same all year round (85-90). Because of this, we have become so tan that we almost look like the locals......well, not really! heehee! Anyhow, we would like to escape the heat but the only way to do that is to go back to the states or Europe. On second thought, we booked a trip to Phuket, Thailand to get more sun on the beach! Crazy! We will be heading there for our anniversary! But the process of booking the tickets was another ordeal. So the local airline here charges you every single luggage.....you don't even get one for free and they also charge you an admin fee. At first, I wondered, what in the world is this? Well, it is basically the fee that covers you to use the website and your credit card. Yes, that's right! I booked the flights but I was being charged! I was stunned! Singapore may seemed modern on the surface but in reality, it is a bit behind in times and quite old fashion. Now I really understand why the local people I have met said that Singapore is a payment country!

Another week, another adventure!

Week 10

So, we are finally getting a car, AMEN! - shopping for a car has been
interesting. We are leasing a used car since we can't afford a new car
lease. The car agent took me to a used car lot and I was thinking "oh,
I will see lots of cars." Boy, was I wrong! We were underground under
a shopping center where everyone parks and saw the one car that we
wanted to lease. Since land is so expensive in Singapore, parking
garage are often how they operate here for used cars. Oh, the reason
why cars is so expensive here is because the government enforces a 130%
tax on top of what you pay of the car. Also, if you buy a used car, you
have to pay an additional 10K tax and if your car is 5-10 years old and
you want to keep it, you have to pay more taxes. This is why the cars
here are so new (less than 5 years) because everyone gets a new car
within the 5 years due to the additional tax that you must pay to
maintain a used car. Banks also encourages the locals to get new cars
due to incentives on interest rates!

Once again, I went on an interviewed and got a second interview 2 hours
later. Given the fact that it is confirmed that I will not be returning
to EY, I thought finding a new career opportunity was in order!

We have also discovered that Alex is now making sentences so we can't
say words to him anymore without him knowing or copying...now we spell
between Etienne and myself...he is just growing up so fast!

Our families/friends,

I think finally unpacking is getting to the end....boxes being moved by
the condo management, idiots! The guy that called me could not speak
English and I got so frustrated that I hung up on him several times.
Also, I understand why we have close to 400 boxes because the movers
from houston packed 2 things in a box. Waste of paper and manpower! It
is nice to have been overpacked on some things but I wished they could
have paid more attention in packing the office!

Typically on weekends, we always go out to eat. We tried an amazing
Thai restaurant in Dempsi road. This road filled with restaurants and
shops really caters to foreigners therefore, the prices is higher but it
was so damn good. We also went to a wholesaler meat place and I can
tell you that I have never been so happy to see meat! They have
american sausages and USDA meat! However, this place may be shut down
as the government doesn't want them to operate as a wholesaler and a
retailer. Who cares! I swear, can this country be anymore controlled
than it already is???

We finally discovered which TV channel here provides good news...let me
tell you, this is interesting. So why do they show the weather when it
is the same all year round?!!! LOL!!! Perhpas, there is a message that
we didn't get! i have only been watching E! so that I am up to date
with the American star dramas! Thank goodness, we can get it here as
well as American Idols! Now only, if they can get the Bachelor here, I
am all set. Oh, we also found another way of watching american TV shows
and that is through www.hulu.com, however, since we are in Singapore, it
didn't work due to the IP address so my genius husband managed to
download a software that changes our IP address to the states. The
shows are one week behind but it beats not having anything!

We also saw that spring cleaning made it to the news! You may wonder
what is spring cleaning as I wonder the same myself. Well, for the
Chinese New Year, it is customary to clean out your house like getting
rid of old clothes, wash furniture covers, new cushion cover, basically,
if you can have everything new, you do it plus they hire people to come
clean the house. I am wondering what happens the rest of the year! :o)


The current biggest update that is happening in Singapore is the opening
of the very first casino on Sentosa Island. Everyone here has been
waiting for this and let me tell you the government is all over it. As
a foreigner, there is no entry free, free for us, but if you are a
local, you have to pay a $70 USD tax to get into the casino. This
basically discourages people from gambling as Chinese loves to gamble
and it is a good way to start off the new year! Oh, I also found out
that the government has set up hotlines where you can call if you know
someone who has a gambling problem. They are put on a list at the
casino and if you try to go, you are rejected! LOL!!! This list
applies to criminals as well. Talk about control!!!

Given that yogurt is quiet expensive here, as with everything else, we
are back to making our own! We wanted to get the same milk that we used
in the US; however, quickly changed our mind. A half gallon of the
Horizon organic milk costs $11 USD, yes, that is right! It is usually
$3.29 in the states. So we thought perhaps, we should just buy it,
well, for 8 yogurt, it costs $18 USD. So, we went back to making our
own! Is Singapore expensive, hell yeah!

Oh, I got into a fight with our neighbors this week due to their two
small dogs' constant parking. I have no problem with dogs barking but
when it bothers Alex sleeping time, I do! Of course, I had to do
something! I went over and knocked on their door and told them to keep
their dogs quiet nicely but of course got yelled at so I yelled back.
Therefore, I reported to the management condo and so far so good! Note
that this is not the first time that I have had to talk to them. Why
can't they just do it without me going to the condo management???!!!!

We were very sad that we couldn't celebrate super bowl this year in the
states with our friends and families so to compensate, we had our BBQ
grill set up! We are so happy that we brought one from the states as it
costs 3 times more than what we paid for. I was able to negotiate the
price for the installation and gas. Gotta love Singapore! Anyhow, we
can now grill like we did when were in the states! We are on a roll
now!!!

Next week to follow....

Week 9

As the real unpacking begins this week, we have seriously packed stuff that
we should have gotten rid of a loooooooooong time ago. These items consist
of high school and colleage homework, pay stubs from my first job at LIttle
Caesars during high school. Did I really need to keep all this? I must of
thought that I would need it someday! However, I did stumble on my high
school year and memory books.....now this is funny! So, on our last day of
packing in Houston, the movers were in a hurry however, we thought they did
a great job in getting everything packed and onto the truck. LIttle did we
know, as we open our boxes, it was a mess. The things that related to our
office room was not protected (i.e., laptop, electronic, etc.) So, now we
have to go through the trouble of filing insurance claims. The joy of
moving!

Within the first week of unpacking, we had the kitchen all set up and
wanting to use our appliances. Given that the voltage here is higher
compare to the US, we had brought many conversion boxes in the US. This was
a job for Etienne. He managed to fry 3 extension cords before we were able
to use our electronics! It was definitely a scary and hilarious experience!


Alex started school and is doing well. We walk and take the bus to school
each day. It is pretty interesting to see the locals and how they just love
to star at us because Alex doesn't have the dominate Asian features! Now, I
just star back and let them know that I am on to them! LOL! Given that it
rains here quiet often in the afternoon, Alex and I will often take the taxi
home. However, this is not as easy as you would think. For example, if it
is raining, no taxi in sight. If you try to get a taxi between 5-6pm, no
taxi will stop for you because they are changing shifts! Do they want to
make money or not?!!!!

We definitely do miss not have a car but public transportation can be a life
saver as well as it is often hard to find parking. We are in the process of
getting a car for 2 years and it will cost around $700 USD per month to
rent. This price is for a small compact car...is this not crazy or what?
Just imagine what we could have gotten in the US for that price! Car is
extremely expensive here! The government releases a certain # of license
per year and it is bid by the dealerships. This is their way of controlling
the # of cars on the road! Crazy, huh?!

So, I decided that it was time to make some friends so I joined the
Schlumberger spouse association. I did not have high expectations though!
So I met up with a lady who was from Louisiana and she was very down to
earth and could relate with my experiences here. I went with her to the
morning coffee meeting at another spouses' house and most of the ladies were
very nice except the two ladies who were talking about their maids and what
they do during the day. This was really not my cup of tea! I just didn't
see myself hanging out with them on a weekly basis of getting nails done and
having massages. I would just rather be alone. Basically, I need to find
creative ideas to make new friends! :O)

We also have narrowed down to our weekly favorite Chinese restaurant. The
people there knows us and given that we have gone there so much, we have
become VIP customers. What does this mean? So, when we go there to eat, we
will get a 15% discount on our final bill!

As you may recall in the previous week updates, beef is very expensive here
despite it may come from Australia or New Zealand. However, it is gaming
due to the food the cows eat. So, in speaking with other Americans here, we
have found a place that sells USDA beef. You don' t know how excited we
were to hear that! We are definitely craving for steaks and hamburgers!
There is a Chili's here that serves USDA beef but a hamburger will set you
back $28 USD....that's right! Is Singapore expensive? YES!!!


Given that I am still in the process of looking for a job, we decided that
we will need to hire a housekeeper. We interviewed a girl and she was very
nice. The reason she is seeking for a new employer is because her old one
would not give her a day off. Now you may ask, is she wanting a day off a
week or every two weeks...well, she just wanted a day off per month per the
contract. Yes, you read that right! A maid usually only gets 1 day off a
month for a whole year....is that not crazy or what?!!! Despite that their
contract states so, most locals do not go by the contract and do what they
want. Many abuses the maid physically as well Now I am not saying maids
are perfect as there are some that are not so good but if they want a job
and not get sent back to their home country, they will do a good job! We
are just amazed daily on how things are done here!

Shopping is always an adventure here! If you love shopping, this is the
place to be. It is everywhere! There are malls that we like that cater to
kids however, the store clerks watches you like a hawk to make sure your kid
don't touch the toys. Help me understand how this works because I haven't
yet figured it out! Once we see that, we move to a different store!

Oh, have I mentioned that people here especially the men have some serious
issues with body odor. Oh my goodness, this is something that I don't think
I will be able to adjust to. When you are in a train or bus, 9 out of 10
times, you will smell something. It is horrible! I mean they sell
deodorant here so why don't they use it?!!! You want to move away but you
can't because the train and the bus are so jam packed with people! Given
the many laws in Singapore, they should enforce one that has to deal with
taking a bath and putting on deodorant!

Week 8

To all my amazing readers, I apologized for the delay as our 40ft
container of household items finally arrived and unpacking is not the
most easiest thing to do plus trying to find spaces to put everything is
another hurdle!

I must say that some of the things that I miss the most from the US is a
dishwasher and a garbage disposal! Dishwashers are a premium here and
it considered a water wasting machine. As for a garbage disposal, not
sure that exists here! Etienne also put up pantry shelvings in the bomb
shelter room. No, we are not going to use this room as a maid's room
per the local Singaporean standards. Given that most homes here do not
have a dryer, we decided that we couldn't live without one as we didn't
want our towels to feel like a sheet of paper. To combat the vent hose
problem since the condo didn't bother to build a ventilation system, we
decided we would just stick it to the bathroom and open the
window....Genius! LOL (see attached picture). Otherwise, living here
is not too bad!

We started the week by visiting another international preschool and it
was very nice. We are planning to start Alex next Monday; but then I
get a call from his original school where Alex was on a wait list and
they have an opening. Therefore, we will go there as it is closer to
the house. We will also register him at the international elementary
school come Aug. He will be 3.5 years old by then. Goodness, how time
flies! Our little boy is growing up! Btw, we found out that Alex is
called Euroasian here....they actually have an ethic category for him!

Another happy news is that I received a couple of job calls. One from
from EY asking me if I was still in the market. People have left and
they asked if I would consider the position again! Another one from
Deloitte. I am definitely keeping my options open! I interviewed with
Deloitte and will not go with them. Their mentality was very local and
not international. I felt as thought I was defending myself as an Asian
and American. I would rather go volunteer at Alex's school then to work
for a company that will question my judgements.

Given the weather is very humid and hot here, there is no AC in the
bathrooms. All of a sudden, we experienced a horrible smell coming from
the master bathroom drainage. Yes, each bathroom has a drainage that is
very obvious. They don't even try to hide it like in the states.
Anyhow, we have had to open to window but the smell was not going away!
Finally, reported it to the condo management and they were like, "what
is that?" I said, "you tell me. Obviously, something is creating that
smell so fix it." Not only the water leak is still not fixed, we are
facing a sewer drain pipe blockage! What's next?!!!

So the movers arrived early on Thursday. As I see the 40 ft container
park on the curbside of the condo, I was wondering, "oh my God, how is
this going to be possible?!!!" As they started to unload and moving the
boxes into the condo, I started to panic. Despite we may have a 4
bedroom condo, everything is still small. It is not like in the US
where everything is spacious and there are plenty of storage. As I
checked off the inventory list of all of our boxes, I just wanted to
run! There was not an empty corner in the house after the movers moved
everything in! It was everywhere! The good thing about this whole
process is that the movers were very efficient and organized. The mover
said don't worry, we will make sure all 390 boxes fit! I just looked at
him and was stunned! As you can imagine our house in Singapore is half
of what we had in Pearland. To combat the overwhelming of the boxes, we
were invited to a dinner at the Singapore Zoo, the Night Safari! There
were cocktails and drinks, which I needed very much and wished they
could have given more than one drink per person. We had dinner on the
tram and it was delicious! I particular picked steak as steak are a
premium here. Since we have left Texas back in Dec, this was the first
time we had a steak! So, let me tell you about the trip through the
night safari! As we get on the tram, we started to head towards the
safari in pitch black darkness! It is truly a safari in that they are
no lights except where the animals are and the light is very very dim.
There were no gates to separate you from the animal. Some were so close
to me that I literally moved from where I was sitting on the tram. So
the goal is to see these animals at night as they feed! Yes, that is the
goal! But it is one scary place if you are not sure if these animals
will attack as there are lions, tigers, elephants, rhinos, deers, etc.
There are trails that you can take by yourself but heck, you better
bring a flash light otherwise, you will scare yourself to death. Plus,
it is very quiet so you hear all the animal and insect sounds! Once you
visit here, there is no need to go to an African Safari! LOL! We
definitely will not take Alex because we do not need him to have
nightmares!

When it comes to technology, Singaporean are all over it......perhaps,
Asians in general. Every location that I have been to, there is always
a line. At one point, it was the release of the Apple IPhone, which I
can understand but when that died down, there are still lines at
electronic and cellphone stores before they open at 11. I don't get it.
Do people not work here?!!! Also, when it comes to promotions and free
things, you will always see a line! It may be a teapot that is on sale
or a free home phone/radio, trust me, it will be packed! I don't know
where the Singaporeans have the time to wait for those things!

Also, in every book that I have read, all the authors said that
Singapore is a friendly country! Where in the heck were they hanging
out at? If there were only in the expat communities, yes but not when
you see the country as a whole. I have even spoke to some of the nice
locals here as well as other expats and they agreed that Singaporean are
not all that open to new comers. If you smell and look rich, yes, they
are nice to you. Also, I read that a Singaporean's dream is to get
married, have a 3 bedroom condo with 2 kids, and a 4 wheel car. No
wonder! In some ways, I feel as though people here are not all that
educated and open to diversity. Yes, it is the goal of the country to
increase expat population but the government has said that Singaporean
will be their priorities! This is so true and here is why. As I
visited many of the local schools for Alex, one told me that we have
local parents on the wait list and given that your are a foreigner, your
priority is low, therefore, you will not be able to get in! Wow! Can
we not say this in a nicer way?!!!

As most of you know me, I am into reality TV especially the Bachelor!
Yes, both and Etienne watch it on the slingbox! For those don't know
what a slingbox is, it is a internet access of american TV. It is
great! I hope that Jake makes the right decision at the end and that he
sees who is true and who is fake!

As we head into another week of unpacking, I am sure things will start
to get interesting in our condo!

Week 7

The biggest news this week is that I won't be returning to EY. Due to

budget constraints and economic conditions, they cannot bring me on! It is

alright. I am a bit disappointed but everything happens for a reason. I am

definitely enjoying some time off at home with Alex! I may look for work

elsewhere but we will see!

Well, we finally decided to go to China town! Big mistake as everyone seems

to venture towards that way with the Chinese New Year coming up! Anyhow, as

we were getting off the escalator in the Chinatown train stop, this man in

front of us was not paying attention as the escalator came to an end and got

ran over by Alex's stroller. If we didn't go, the people behind us would

have gotten hurt and us too. The man attacked Etienne and said, "you ran

over my feet with your stroller!" Etienne said, if you had gotten off when

you should have, you wouldn't. Etienne and the man kept arguing and just

had to get the last word in so I had to interfere and tell him to back off.

So you think this was over right?....NO! As we were getting out, the man

came over and stood in front of Alex's stroller to get run over again! So,

this time, Etienne pushed him and he flew across the floor. I told him that

he just did that on purpose...WHY?!! He said, you just ran me over! I

said, " you came to the front of our stroller and did it on purpose!" Of

course, everyone saw what happened and didn't think that we did anything

wrong! I am just stunned by how he acted and did not even consider that we

have a little one with us!

Another interesting observation is that at certain stations, they have train

station employees directing traffic to get on the train as it can be hard to

get on due to traffic during peak times and weekends. Well, we were shocked

that they put us in line first as we had Alex and people had to wait in the

back of the line! It is truly interesting how business is conducted here as

it is not very consistent.

The more we live in our condo each day, the more things you start to

notice.....besides the counters and plugs are child height, there are no

plugs in the bathroom. If you ever wanted to use an electric toothbrush,

shaver, hair dryer, or flat iron. How do they not think of these

things???!!! The good thing is that I am not drying my hair, if I had to, I

would go to the kitchen or living room. Also, I wanted to send some mail

and was told that the mail boxes here can only receive. What the heck?!!!

Are you kidding me?!!! Why is that the mailman can delivery mail and not

pick up mail??? This is a question that I would loved to be answer! I was

told that I had to go to the post office to send mail. So, if Singapore is

all about efficiency, you would think that they can pick up mail at the same

time but no, I guessed that is just extra work being created!

As an update to the maid interview, we did not go with the one we

interviewed. She just seemed to have lots of baggage and we weren't sure if

we were ready to take that one. So, back to searching again!

Oh, as I ventured to another mall today (btw, there are so many malls in

Singapore that I don't think we will see all of them by the time we are

ready to leave here), I noticed that everywhere you go, there is a store

dedicated to precious moments! Yes, the little figurines! It is just

amazing...I never knew precious moments were such a popular item and the

varieties here (stationary, forks, spoons, children's item, cards, etc) is

just amazing! Good thing, I kept my little collection. Perhaps, I can sell

it here for a little fortune! LOL!!! In this mall, it should be really

call the American mall! Every single store is all what you would see in the

states like Nine West, Etienne Aigner, Channel, Coach, etc. When you are in

that mall, you don't even feel as though you are in Singapore until you hit

the food court! This is my favorite place! The food is so good and

cheap....Love it! I honestly believe that Singapore is like a little

America or India or China...whatever you want!

We have also learned that you need to bring your own napkins when dining at

a restaurant and/or local hawker's stand. If you are at a restaurant, they

will charge you $0.50 per napkin as well as the peanuts on the table...it is

like charging for chips and salsa when you go to a Mexican restaurant!

However, if you dined at the hawker's stand, there will be people selling

you package of tissues since the stands do not provide napkins....3 package

for $1. Is this not crazy or what?!!! Given that we have Alex, we always

carry wipes to prevent paying! This is truely amazing!

As for Alex, he is still on a wait list to attend an international

pre-school! No big hurry since I am not working! We go to the swimming

pool everyday to relax and play! And Abbie, our dog, she is just chilling!

Of course, Alex and her still chases each other daily!

Next week (8), our furniture finally arrives! Finally!

Week 6

We have officially been living in our condo for 2 weeks now. Of course,
more repairs must be done. If the owner's relator had done his job, all
this could have been prevented. So, the first repair was to re-finish
the marble floors due to marks and dents. We didn't really care as we
are renting but the owner wanted it done. The house was of course a
mess again as that took 4 hours to finish. Having to tell Alex to stay
away was a bit difficult since Etienne returned back to work! Also, it
is a common practice here to remove your shoes when you go into
someone's home....well, if you have dirty feet, it really doesn't matter
whether you are wearing shoes or not. The contractors that were coming
into our condo had dirty feet so it dirty the floor. Therefore, I made
them clean it. Also, we discovered that the patio upstairs had water
blockage and was leaking into our dinng room. I reported it and I must
say the locals here were fast to act. However, when I told them where
the leak was coming from, the men did not listen to me. Instead, they
started to hack into the concrete wall! Dumb idiots! They had a worker
breaking the concrete wall by a hammer.....! They finally wised up, got
a ladder, went upstairs and saw where the leak was coming from. Of
course, this repair is going to take a few more days as they never
return when they said they were going to. I had to call and remind them
that they tools in our patio. The joy of repairs!!!

If you recall, last week, I made a big fuss about the condo not being
cleaned prior to us moving in. Well, a maid came and she spent 7 hours
cleaning the entire place! This just shows that our place was never
cleaned when the realtor said it was! I have also discovered that you
have to be mean and forceful to get things done here! Being nice just
does not get the job done.

So, I think we have finally found a good school for Alex. It is pricey
by Singapore standards but not compare to what we were paying in the US.
Most of the schools here said they teach English but most teachers don't
speak English so I am trying to understand how this would work. Plus,
the school don't have any AC, only fans. If you know Houston summer
weather, it is the same here....humid and hot. I went to many of these
places and I was sweating in the first 5 minutes. If I am hot, Alex was
burning up since he is a little sweat machine. And, the teachers were
not very friendly. No one talked to Alex in some of these schools.
Therefore, the school that he will go has a good mixture of
international kids and AC! Of course, he is taller than most Asian 2.5
years old his age. Oh well!

Oh, did I mentioned that our place doesn't have a washer, dryer,
dishwasher, and a microwave?!!! All of these would be standard in most
homes in the US but here, these are optional as they often have maids
that will do the cleaning, washing, and cooking. Anyhow, we wanted a
bigger space so we had to alter our priorities. The first purchased we
made was a washer. I was able to negotiate a deal on it so didn't have
to pay sticker price. This is a concept that I think US should adapt!
:o) We searched for a dryer and found one with my guy who we bought the
washer from. I think we may have found our appliance sales guy! :o)
Speaking of groceries, we went to a nice one and it carried many of the
US products but costs 2-3 times more. Now, I know what to bring when we
make a trip back to the US. Oh, so you would think that dumplings here
should be dirt cheap as we Asian invented them. LOL! A pack of frozen
dumplings costs $ 6.00 USD, I used to pay $2.50 for one package in the
states, sometimes $2 on sale! Crazy, huh?!!! It is really interesting
how they price things here!

We will most likely get a nanny/housekeeper as well. Once I start back
to work, we will need help in taking Alex to school and picking him up.
The process of hiring a housekeeper is very interesting. If you go
through an agency, they will match you one but you have to pay the
agency 6 months of the maid's salary in advance, this means that the
maid doesn't get pay for 6 months! Or you can go through a referral and
find one yourself. This can be done but the government here makes it so
confusing that you are not sure what to do. This was the same thing
with Abbie, our dog, therefore, we hired a pet agency to process all her
paper works when she landed in Singapore!

Next week, more repairs are being done on the condo so I am sure we will
have more interesting stories to share!

Love,
Beney Family