Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to everyone! I am a little sad we won't be passing out candy to all the cute kids this year or even dressing up and going to a party ourselves. But, thats ok! We'll be in the air & on our way home instead!! We just cant wait to see everybody! We have alot going on, but definitely more time to do it all! Matt & I were just planning our first dinner back home & he's already talking about Umbertos...and I really cant say that I disagree with him.(mmmm garlic knots). We are also looking forward to that extra hour of sleep...man are we gonna wacked out on the time issue. Haha!

I'm getting everything ready today while Matt is at work, so hopefully everything he needs gets packed :) Honest moment here: He'll be over packed & so will I.

With that said, we are very much looking forward to this trip back & are so excited we could come back together(dont like being apart so much).

See you all soon!

Note: The picture above is a jack-o-lantern perched on top of the Singapore Flyer. So to answer your questions, yes they celebrate Halloween in Singapore.

Another monsoon season...rain, rain go away

And stay away FOREVER!!! Kidding. I think Singapore is embarking on yet another monsoon season and that inspired me to educate myself on the storm-system lingo...Just wanted to share with all of you. I know when I was working in Hematology, we often had discussions on cyclone, hurricanes, etc...and what the difference was. What a CBC had to do with it, I'll never forget, think it was sitting down doing diff's(manual white blood cell count differentials) listening to the radio above & hearing about cyclone this or hurricane so-and-so... So here is to you, wonderful ladies in hemo, our questions finally answered!
1. Tornado: violent, rotating column of air which is in contact with both surface of the earth & a cumulonimbus cloud & often, but not always visible as a funnel cloud.
2. Tropical cyclone(hurricane): Storm with low pressure center, numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds & flooding rain.
3. Monsoon: Seasonal prevailing wind that lasts for several months usually bring heavy rainfall
4. Typhoon(tropical storm): A tropical cyclone that forms in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The Basin is created within the Pacific Ocean in Asia, north of the Equator & west of the International Dateline. Storms crossing the east & central Pacific Ocean and crossing the Dateline are re-designated as typhoons. The above mentioned basin has the strongest cyclones on record. Typhoon season includes the entirety of the calendar year.
Here's to the rain waking us up at 4am!!

Deepavali

Here are a few pictures from Saturday when we went & walked around Little India. Its officially Deepavali, the Festival of Lights. The lights were beautiful & looked like they went on for miles. We definitely liked walking around but have had our share of Little India for awhile(we were tired & ready to eat at Lau Pa Sat). We were sad, however, because we were looking forward to the firewalking & found it happened last Monday. Oh well, maybe we can see it next year!!

Sunday we took in a wonderful brunch together at the Royal Plaza on Scotts. A very nice hotel. It was our first experience, but we are looking forward to many, many more!! Brunch is inclusive of free flow champagne, wine and beer and is served buffet style. It is a very big to-do here in Singapore. Most places require reservations ahead.

Its been a nice long weekend. Matt had today off & we have been bumming around the apartment, which is fine because its been overcast & rainy most of the day.

We are looking forward to being on a plane in a few days! And, as luck would have it, we are excited about the extra hour Sat night/Sun morning!

Hope to see many of you soon!

Cheers :)

Not a Marathon

In an effort to spend more time together & for our personal health, we have started waking up at 5am to run. So far this week, we've done 3 days of running ~30 minutes of running. Down to the bridge overlooking the river & back. Its not much...probably between 2 & 3 miles. But its definitely start! We are starting to feel a little more fit & love being able to spend that time together!! Its great. I would recommend it to anyone/any couple. Just make sure one of you is an early riser. Matt actually said in the middle of our run this morning, "You really ARE a morning person" like he didnt know that already.Anyways, if you have any running tips,stories or secrets feel free to share!

I have also prided myself in making dinner every night this week. Quite the accomplishment for the new cook. Which, I'm a little peeved at the Raffles Hotel, I was supposed to take my 2nd cooking class Wednesday but unfortunately due to low number of participants, they cancelled it! Suckers. Oh well, guess I'll have to find something in the late part of November to sign up for.

Not too much planned for this weekend...may go to the Tiger Beer Factory at Sentosa & then to Little India to look at the lights;apparently its beautiful to go to because its all lit up for Deepavali;Holiday for Festival of the Lights where parts of the streets are all lighted & decorated(see pic taken from wikipedia & its actually from right here in Singapore). Should be interesting. Hope we can remember the camera! Matt even gets off work Tuesday for it!!

Hope everyone is doing well.

More to come later.

We hit the GOLDMINE!

A picture is worth a thousand words....

Pumpkin Patch

I have really been wanting to decorate for Fall/Halloween. Its been quite a tricky task over here. But finally I found the perfect thing at the store the other day. I was so excited to surprise Matt when he got home. I found an S$11 pumpkin decorating kit. What a bargain...5 pumpkins & the paint to go with it! I know, they are a little pathetic looking, but hey at least it something! Which is definitely better than nothing!!

Engagement Pictures

I just realized not everyone had the opportunity to see all of our engagement pictures. When I scanned them over I didnt realize the setting was in black & white. But I think they look good both ways. So I wanted to be able to share with all of you. The pictures were taken by Betsy Felton. We had so much fun doing this. She was great & according to Matt it was quick & easy & fun.

Tulsa-Oklahoma City Tour Nov 2008

We're coming home again. Both of us. Together. Hand-in-hand.

Thats right!! Originally the trip was just scheduled for myself(more wedding things to take care of). But it looks like Matt will be coming along, for business. We will be in town from the 1st through the 16th.

We are both very excited to come back & see friends and family. However, we are very upset because I just found out today that we will not be able to participate in any football activities as both OSU & TU are playing out of town games(according to their perspective websites). Yuck! But it should be another great trip for us! We are looking forward to it!

Hope to see you all soon.

Cheers!(cheers to less expensive beers!)

Its Official...

Thats right people. have a look & see what its all about. I cant decide if I should frame it or glue it to the fridge....

Watch out Chef Gary Choy!!

I am pleased to announce that I have officially enrolled in 2 cooking classes. They are being held at the beautiful Raffles Hotel(see pic above). I am so anxious & nervous...I feel like I'm going into the 4th grade all over again!

The title of my first class on Wednesday is "Hot and Sour Chinese" and the menu is:

Poached cold prawn salad with szechuan sesame dressing

Hot and spicy soup

"Mar Lak" Mud Crab with spices Glazed with white pepper sauce

Yummy! Luckily they are hands-on and do include lunch!

My next class isn't until the 22nd of October and its title "Fusion" the menu also looks very appetizing as well.

Matt helped calm my nerves this weekend by going and finding where the culinary academy is at the hotel. So at least I know where I'm going!

The website said the classes are introductory & recreational in nature...so it sounds like they should be right up my alley!

Raffles hotel is famous for the well-known Singapore Sling; it originated in 1915 when a bartender started making it for British women who were not supposed to be seen drinking in public.

Thanks to Mom & Dad for such a great birthday present!

More to come later!!

SURPRISE!

I was totally craving sushi after having some back home in OKC & went out yesterday to find some. There is a store close to the apt that sells sushi in little packages & they are reasonably priced. Anyway, I get home, sit down, have my wasabi-soy sauce concoction ready & SURPRISE! Guess who I found in one of my rolls. Yes, you are correct. This little fellow. A dead baby octopus. Ewww!!! Hahaha. I put him in a ziplock bag to give to Matt when he got home. He is totally grossed out by it. And, actually so am I. The scary part is that I almost ate it. I wasn't really looking until it was 1/2 way to my mouth. YUCKY! So, in honor of Hari Raya Puasa, the holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan & Children's Day here in Singapore, I thought I would share all of this with you.
Selamat Hari Raya (Happy Eid aka Happy End of Ramadan)