In the days in Singapore leading up to our trip, the boys had talked incessantly about refreshing cold Canada. En route, there was already a foreboding sign of the things to come. We had just de-planed and entered the Tokyo airport when Frunty announced that he was cold and wanted to go outside to warm up. Go outside to warm up? Not in Japan where it’s around 10 degrees. Wait till we get to Canada.
Yesterday evening, we told Pit to get into bed but he complained that the bed sheets were cold. The Mommy explained that this is what it means to be in Canada - things are cold. Pit simply stated that he likes the snow in Canada but not the coldness.
Saturday, 28 November 2009
Friday, 27 November 2009
27 Hours
27 hours is the time it took to get from Singapore to Toronto. Spread out over three flights, we crossed the globe and gained back a day. The boys were fantastic little travellers who knew the drill at the airport and on-board. I was worried at the start of the trip when I realised that the in-flight entertainment was not great for them and that we didn't pack many toys or activities. But the boys didn't disappoint and they kept the peace throughout the journey. Actually, what am I saying - I slept through most of the trip and missed most meals, all movies and any fist fights. Even the fact that our special diet request meals were not provided on board didn't cause panic. Thanks to the 2 stop-overs, we managed to get appropriate food in the airports.
We left the house in Singapore at 5:30am for our 6.5 hour flight to Tokyo. We landed there to see a wonderful early sunset at 4:30pm before our 9 hour flight to San Francisco. The strange part was that we landed in the morning of the * same * day. We had just enough time for a sushi breakfast and Christmas story time in the bookstore before we were back on-board for the last leg to Toronto of 4.5 hours. Final destination arrival was smooth with an on-time landing at 8pm, retrieval of all of our luggage in one piece, and my parents pick-up.
All in all, the boys were great and the trip was almost easy (especially since I slept through most of it).
We left the house in Singapore at 5:30am for our 6.5 hour flight to Tokyo. We landed there to see a wonderful early sunset at 4:30pm before our 9 hour flight to San Francisco. The strange part was that we landed in the morning of the * same * day. We had just enough time for a sushi breakfast and Christmas story time in the bookstore before we were back on-board for the last leg to Toronto of 4.5 hours. Final destination arrival was smooth with an on-time landing at 8pm, retrieval of all of our luggage in one piece, and my parents pick-up.
All in all, the boys were great and the trip was almost easy (especially since I slept through most of it).
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
No Clouds
When there are no clouds in the sky, it feels super hot. I mean, scorching. I mean, Kenny Rogers Roastin'!! And that is when I am so happy that we are on holidays and ever-so-grateful that we have a swimming pool. In and out of the water, aaahhh...relief. Of course, we could have our air-con on but that kind of cold is unnecessary. We just need some refreshment from this tropical heat. Each morning, I boil a big pot on the stove and add a couple of tea bags. Chamomile, honey vanilla, Chinese tea...whatever. When it is cool, I transfer it into a container that goes into the fridge. Later we add ice, lime, cranberry juice, etc. or nothing at all. The kids like tea too.
Singapore boasts the healthiest water available in its pipes on the planet. There is a free shuttle bus from our MRT every two hours to check out a New-Water plant nearby. I hope to take the kids in the future to check out this water supply and learn more. On top of this supposedly clean water, we are filtering it and/or boiling it depending on our needs. I am happy to have a bigger fridge than in Brussels where we can have lots of different types of refreshments. It may seem like very little to our readers but after you have lived with a bar fridge for 6 years, a fridge like ours now seems incredible!!
Must hit the hay as tomorrow, another new day is coming full of play and I need to be ready. Ready for fun! Happy holidays!
Singapore boasts the healthiest water available in its pipes on the planet. There is a free shuttle bus from our MRT every two hours to check out a New-Water plant nearby. I hope to take the kids in the future to check out this water supply and learn more. On top of this supposedly clean water, we are filtering it and/or boiling it depending on our needs. I am happy to have a bigger fridge than in Brussels where we can have lots of different types of refreshments. It may seem like very little to our readers but after you have lived with a bar fridge for 6 years, a fridge like ours now seems incredible!!
Must hit the hay as tomorrow, another new day is coming full of play and I need to be ready. Ready for fun! Happy holidays!
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
Room Sale
Today the kids and I went to a nearby garage sale. If you have been reading my blog over the years, you'll know how I feel about garage sales. Well, my kids love them too and with $2 each in their tiny, brown hands, they headed off with me trying to keep up, to a house down the way. We came home with some books and toy cars and a new, second-hand monkey. What fun!
Daddy and I just found on our bedroom door a sign written by Frunty inviting us to a sale tomorrow at the bedroom of Pit. It seems that Pit is selling some toys. Normally at Christmas time, the kids and I go through toys and deliver them to a nearby women's shelter. This year, we haven't found a charity yet and so the kids have come up with a different idea. I'll be darned though since we just sent all those toys over from Belgium and therefore, we won't be getting rid of them quite yet. I may purchase one of Pit's stuffed toys though. I like his new, baby Kangaroo if it is for sale!
Today I did my third load of laundry with my brand new machine. The first load of laundry I did in our new home never dried. After three days outside, it remained wet as storm after storm drenched the clothes over and over. I had to re-wash the entire load as it started to smell yucky. That was my second experience with my new machine. Today though was the third and third time lucky. With gorgeous blue skies and an incredible breeze, my clothes swayed in the sun and now smell fresh and feel great. I have bamboo poles set up outside to hang the clothes on and inside, a hanging system with a fan which circulates air. So I did several loads because of such favourable conditions!! And heard other tenants' washing machines going too! What fun! Oh, did I already say that?!
The kids and I went for Chicken Rice at Market 58 by bike. What a lovely evening. Daddy had to work so couldn't partake but next time will indeed join us. While we had pasta and sauce last night with Australian ground beef chez nous, most nights we eat out at nearby markets. It is so nice to sit outside and try all the Asian food stalls. I feel so fortunate to be experiencing this Singaporean way of life. Yes, you've heard it before! What fun!
Daddy and I just found on our bedroom door a sign written by Frunty inviting us to a sale tomorrow at the bedroom of Pit. It seems that Pit is selling some toys. Normally at Christmas time, the kids and I go through toys and deliver them to a nearby women's shelter. This year, we haven't found a charity yet and so the kids have come up with a different idea. I'll be darned though since we just sent all those toys over from Belgium and therefore, we won't be getting rid of them quite yet. I may purchase one of Pit's stuffed toys though. I like his new, baby Kangaroo if it is for sale!
Today I did my third load of laundry with my brand new machine. The first load of laundry I did in our new home never dried. After three days outside, it remained wet as storm after storm drenched the clothes over and over. I had to re-wash the entire load as it started to smell yucky. That was my second experience with my new machine. Today though was the third and third time lucky. With gorgeous blue skies and an incredible breeze, my clothes swayed in the sun and now smell fresh and feel great. I have bamboo poles set up outside to hang the clothes on and inside, a hanging system with a fan which circulates air. So I did several loads because of such favourable conditions!! And heard other tenants' washing machines going too! What fun! Oh, did I already say that?!
The kids and I went for Chicken Rice at Market 58 by bike. What a lovely evening. Daddy had to work so couldn't partake but next time will indeed join us. While we had pasta and sauce last night with Australian ground beef chez nous, most nights we eat out at nearby markets. It is so nice to sit outside and try all the Asian food stalls. I feel so fortunate to be experiencing this Singaporean way of life. Yes, you've heard it before! What fun!
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Tampines Primary's Historical Day!
We got a letter today from Frunty's school. Currently, the students are at a temporary site while their brand new building is being completed. This Friday, the students are to report to the new site for the official opening and celebratory walk. I am so excited. We will have to wake up extra early to take a taxi. With life being so exciting over here, it is hard to get to sleep and indeed, the other night, Frunty stayed up way too late. But who could blame him? He just got his report card with favourable reviews! I am so proud of him. Here is his report card after two months in Singapore:
"Fruny speaks well and confidently. He accepts new ideas readily. He is a calm pupil who thinks before he acts. He shows respect towards teachers and peers. He is always willing to help his friends when they are in need. Frunty has shown sustained commitment that is highly commendable."
And like my school reports as a kid, Frunty got 38/38 for attendance!! His overall conduct is "very good". Of course, as a proud mom of a son who transitioned so well from the Belgium system and way of life to a completely different experience in Singapore, I think his conduct is, like his new, rocketship-decorated bedroom, out of this world!! Honestly, from the moment he sat alongside those "strangers", Frunty has attended Tampines with a glad heart. Jumping out of bed, getting his uniform on with glee, riding through the early streets to get to his school, chatting the whole way there and back about what he was going to do and what he had done, I have to stay that this Tampinesian is 100% impressive. Well done, Frunts! You are a star.
"Fruny speaks well and confidently. He accepts new ideas readily. He is a calm pupil who thinks before he acts. He shows respect towards teachers and peers. He is always willing to help his friends when they are in need. Frunty has shown sustained commitment that is highly commendable."
And like my school reports as a kid, Frunty got 38/38 for attendance!! His overall conduct is "very good". Of course, as a proud mom of a son who transitioned so well from the Belgium system and way of life to a completely different experience in Singapore, I think his conduct is, like his new, rocketship-decorated bedroom, out of this world!! Honestly, from the moment he sat alongside those "strangers", Frunty has attended Tampines with a glad heart. Jumping out of bed, getting his uniform on with glee, riding through the early streets to get to his school, chatting the whole way there and back about what he was going to do and what he had done, I have to stay that this Tampinesian is 100% impressive. Well done, Frunts! You are a star.
Monday, 16 November 2009
Too Many Socks!
Today I went up to Pit's room to play and saw a whole bunch of socks on top of his dresser. I started to put them into his drawer when he said, "No, don't put them back! I don't want them anymore!" I checked in his drawer and saw 4 pairs. Quite enough really since he wears crocs everyday anyway and will have special socks eventually with his school uniform! I think Pit is a minimalist!
Speaking of the kids' rooms, they are super great and I am so thrilled with how they decided to decorate them. Frunty has a silver and blue space room with stars and planets and a rocket ship on the wall. His bed is high up with table and cool, red chair underneath. He chose it all and honestly, I am impressed. I think the red chair is just perfect. I really tried not to sway him in any way. Pit's room is orange/green/brown and will have African animals on the wall. I went downtown today to purchase them but they were out of stock. It seems all of Singapore is too so they have to be ordered!!
Speaking of going downtown today, I got a babysitter from China named Yajing to play with the kids for three hours. I went back to our old haunt, Orchard and Scots Roads. It turns out the plaza near our first home at Cairnhill Towers, has three second-hand book shops. I got a bunch of books for the upcoming Christmas season! Yajing used to work at the massage center where we go. This was her first babysitting job, she said! I guess she is somewhere in her twenties and married. Hopefully the kids were as good as she said they were...wouldn't want to scare her!
Yajing practised Mandarin with Frunty and said he was really great. She said some 7 year olds she knows in China don't write the characters as well as Frunty does. What a nice compliment! Maybe she'll babysit again!
Tomorrow we are expecting a special shipment of furniture from the Gallery House where Uncle "Candy" works, a man the kids got attached to during several of our visits. (he gives them candy each time!) I am looking forward to two small tables and a unit for odds and sods by the fish tank. So far, we have the two whicker chairs I purchased from the previous tenant in front of our tank so we can enjoy "fish tank dinners!" (In Brussels, we sometimes had "tv dinners!") We are just loving our tank and a lot of other things here in Singapore! Wish I could snap my fingers and you could all come and see!
Speaking of the kids' rooms, they are super great and I am so thrilled with how they decided to decorate them. Frunty has a silver and blue space room with stars and planets and a rocket ship on the wall. His bed is high up with table and cool, red chair underneath. He chose it all and honestly, I am impressed. I think the red chair is just perfect. I really tried not to sway him in any way. Pit's room is orange/green/brown and will have African animals on the wall. I went downtown today to purchase them but they were out of stock. It seems all of Singapore is too so they have to be ordered!!
Speaking of going downtown today, I got a babysitter from China named Yajing to play with the kids for three hours. I went back to our old haunt, Orchard and Scots Roads. It turns out the plaza near our first home at Cairnhill Towers, has three second-hand book shops. I got a bunch of books for the upcoming Christmas season! Yajing used to work at the massage center where we go. This was her first babysitting job, she said! I guess she is somewhere in her twenties and married. Hopefully the kids were as good as she said they were...wouldn't want to scare her!
Yajing practised Mandarin with Frunty and said he was really great. She said some 7 year olds she knows in China don't write the characters as well as Frunty does. What a nice compliment! Maybe she'll babysit again!
Tomorrow we are expecting a special shipment of furniture from the Gallery House where Uncle "Candy" works, a man the kids got attached to during several of our visits. (he gives them candy each time!) I am looking forward to two small tables and a unit for odds and sods by the fish tank. So far, we have the two whicker chairs I purchased from the previous tenant in front of our tank so we can enjoy "fish tank dinners!" (In Brussels, we sometimes had "tv dinners!") We are just loving our tank and a lot of other things here in Singapore! Wish I could snap my fingers and you could all come and see!
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Fish Spa and IKEA Fun!
Frunty has holidays these next two days and luckily, Daddy could enjoy some time with us. We all went to Mainland Fish Farm to choose a stand for our fish tank but also, to try our hands at prawn fishing (very hard, only a few nibbles!) and a fish spa (tons of little nibbles!) What is a Fish Spa? I don't know if you really want to know but you put your feet and legs up to the knees into water containing two gazillion fish. They instantly gravitate towards your feet and start eating all the little icky things they can find. When I first put my feet in, I screamed. The fish were a lot stronger suckers than I expected. Frunty tried but couldn't stand it as did Daddy. Pit didn't even try. It was pretty creepy but since I had already paid, I suffered through it. Honestly, it gave me a bit of an anxiety attack!
Afterwards, a truck drove the three of us to the nearby IKEA and proceeded to take Daddy home with the new stand for our acquarium. We went directly for chicken wings and then chose bedroom items for Frunty and Pit. Frunty's room will be space age with silver and blue. Pit's is full of earthy tones and I think he wants animal stickers on the walls. We found pillows with orange and green in them to match his walls. I am really excited about putting it all together in the next few days.
When we got home, we all headed over to our new local hang out called "Zazze's" which is the name of one of the guys who works there. Another guy is called Mr. Satay by the kids. He is quite friendly and likes to goof around with them while our satay sticks are being bbqed. Tonight Daddy and I tried some Indian food. It was really good. I was just getting a bit tired of satays! Pit always orders his plate of greens and eats merrily away. Frunty can't wait for the red bean dessert with sugar cane flavoured ice shavings! It is a fun spot to go and with the warm, balmy breeze, we enjoy our dinners there quite a bit.
Time to work on the fish tank! Wait to you see our equatorial paradise!
Afterwards, a truck drove the three of us to the nearby IKEA and proceeded to take Daddy home with the new stand for our acquarium. We went directly for chicken wings and then chose bedroom items for Frunty and Pit. Frunty's room will be space age with silver and blue. Pit's is full of earthy tones and I think he wants animal stickers on the walls. We found pillows with orange and green in them to match his walls. I am really excited about putting it all together in the next few days.
When we got home, we all headed over to our new local hang out called "Zazze's" which is the name of one of the guys who works there. Another guy is called Mr. Satay by the kids. He is quite friendly and likes to goof around with them while our satay sticks are being bbqed. Tonight Daddy and I tried some Indian food. It was really good. I was just getting a bit tired of satays! Pit always orders his plate of greens and eats merrily away. Frunty can't wait for the red bean dessert with sugar cane flavoured ice shavings! It is a fun spot to go and with the warm, balmy breeze, we enjoy our dinners there quite a bit.
Time to work on the fish tank! Wait to you see our equatorial paradise!
