Hungry Ghost Month

And I couldn't figure out what these guys were doing!!

August is Hungry Ghost Month in Singapore. The legend is that every year at this time, the Gates of Hell are flung open and the spirits of the underworld are let loose to party and cause mischief. The Singaporeans burn ritual money, animals and incense to appease these potential poltergeists, and outdoor festivals and barbeques parties spring up all over. It is not uncommon to see a large party, with lots of tables and chairs, food and drink, laughter and music. One table is set especially for the ghosts, but no one is allowed to sit at it.

I LOVE FIREWORKS

These are from the Singapore Fireworks Celebration. This was part of the activities for National Day that was Aug 8th-9th, but for some reason it was scheduled for the 22nd. They were beautiful. We got to watch them on a bridge over looking the S'pore river walk area. It was a wonderful evening.

Langkawi

A few more pics from our weekend getaway in Langkawi

Langkawi

Sunset at the beach
Uhhh....toilet paper please. What is this?

Made it back safely from Langkawi. What a wonderful place! The beach was a nice relaxing getaway. The sunsets were breathtakingly beautiful, the pictures hardly do any justice. We just wish we had more time to explore different parts of Malasyia, but we definitely want to do a trip back. Its amazing to be at the beach & also see the mountains nearby. Everyone we encountered was very friendly. There were many foreigners at the resort with lots of families-especially young little baby/tots. And many Muslims. Definitely different seeing those women all covered-up in their black. Do I wear the black, or...the black? They even swim in all those long robes & still have their faces covered! Pretty amazing ladies.
It rained a little the first day we got there, but eventually cleared up. It took us 1/2 the day to find somewhere to sit because I was being a girl & didnt like any of the chairs cause they had ants crawling all over them. Oh well. We had a great dinner right by the ocean, it was just lovely.
Sunday I went walking around while Matt slept in. I finally woke him up to go play in the sun. We spent all day outside & are pretty roasted. We even played mini-golf. What an adventure that was. They should really warn you about hitting the ball in the water too much. And especially all the mosquitos! Natalie was covered in her I'm-almost-deathly-allergic-to-skeeter bites! Kidding, suprisingly I only had like 3-4 bites. Pretty good considering we were practically playing in the jungle. Still no fever or sickness from them, so thats definitely a great sign! No malaria or dengue fever for me!!! And of course, Matt is like a natural repellent for those bugs. He's so lucky. He felt bad for me I think. I also got some lovely bites from being in the sand-probably just sand fleas or something. Very itchy!!
All in all it was a great time. Just wish we could have stayed a couple more days. Going back to work for Matt this morning was definitely NO FUN!
More to come later

Finally got the blog started after a few pints. It was taking awhile to find the perfect name...obviously we gave up. Anyone is more than welcome to question Pineapple Rice, but you will only get the answer by visiting us in Singapore!

This weekend we are off to Langkawi, a beach resort in Malaysia for Natalie's birthday. Pictures are sure to be flowing once we get back.

As most know, we have news to announce that we are engaged!! Wedding planning has been going great. We are having a wonderful time laughing & sharing & growing closer together.

Matt's job is keeping him busy but out of trouble. Actually he's admitted he thinks he is causing more trouble! He is rattling of some strategy now....we'll see how it works. He's so smart he can do anything.

Singapore has tons of shopping to do & I think Matt has been impressed by my ability NOT to come home with a dozen shopping bags. I can hardly think of what I have bought besides groceries. Isn't that the motto of all housewives(housefiance in my case)?

We miss everyone & hope to see you soon

More blogging to come