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So our wonderful Stay-cation is over and we are very sad. Matt & I definitely wanted to stay in bed this morning...9am sleep-ins were becoming the norm around here. So I thought I'd update about whats been going on the last couple days as well as some randoms here & there:1. Stay-cation was awesome. We went all over Singapore and had the best time together. We went to the Marina Barrage: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_BarrageIt was such a cool place to walk around and had really awesome views of the city (they would be posted, but am having trouble uploading....will post later). We had a great dinner Friday and enjoyed some wine afterwards at a nice restaurant called the Universal: www.theuniversal.com.sg. Saturday and Sunday we took it easy. Had a great brunch Sunday at the Pump Room (very reasonable and great food). 2. Bought a new soccer ball and air pump. I (Natalie) even got it out of the package and got dressed and told Matt I wanted to go kick it around a bit. He was surprised. And even said I was a natural at soccer and did good for my first day. We played down in a grassy area across from our apt. Kind of weird kicking a soccer ball around in the middle of a city with tall buildings all around, but hey it worked. 3. Now we are exhausted. Not ready to be away from each other again. We were having such an awesome time being buddies like always and just loved being together all the time. And tomorrow night, we get an extra special dinner out since we will be celebrating our 6th month wedding anniversary!! 4. Thats about all for now. Back to the old bump and grind of daily life. Getting excited for the weekend already!!5. Ps-All the Asians are totally shocked and freaked out by the death of Michael Jackson. We have spotted several people wearing a white glove and black hat and shoes. All the restaurants and stores seems to be playing his music as well. And dont get me wrong, I love some Michael Jackson music, but think I'm starting to get burned out. More to come later. Lots to come, actually. Just too tired to type anymore.
I thought I'd share a quick post of whats been going on during our stay-cation. Matt is still asleep...getting plenty of R&R! So, with that said, it will be all in phrases, since I need to be quick:1. Friday Stay-Cation kick-off with drinks and mini steak sandwiches @ Morton's followed by a romantic rooftop Italian dinner...bottle of pinot grigio included.Awesome views of construction of Marina Bay Sands construction and the city at night.2. Sat, shopping and bought new cooler and a chopper/mixer so I can make that yummy homemade salsa and so we can pack a cooler to take to the beach. 3. Sun jogged to the Esplanade, called the Dad's for Father's Day4. Mon was massage day. Full body for Matt and foot for me. Amazing. Followed by relaxing hour next to the pool.5. Tues beach day! Sentosa's Silosa beach. Lots of F-16 and C-130's flying around. Dinner at Chijmes at Esmirada....scrumptious tapas and beautiful scene.6. Still on the watch for Nang Kam.....no sightings yet. We'll keep you posted.7. US Military has another fleet of ships coming in tomorrow, but no sailors for us this time, just trying to enjoy our stay-cation. 8. Wishing it wasn't already Wednesday. But still plenty in store for the rest of the week :)
The GSS (Great Singapore Sale) is officially on! I have done such an awesome job (pat myself on the back) of shopping. Yesterday all I spent was S$53 (USD $37.85) on 5 pairs of new underwear and a nice lavender linen dress. It seems like some people have trouble with the washer/dryer eating their socks; ours eat my undergarments. I was trying to find something to wear for my upcoming job besides a jean skirt and tank tops. So now is the perfect time. My linen dress was originally S$79 and they took 70% off. WOW! That's the glory of the GSS. Sales up to 70% everywhere. Other cheapos just have 10-15% if you use certain plastic. Also, we have a couple social outings planned for the end of the week. Thurs is a bar night at Dallas. Just a pub by the river. It's sponsored by the American Association, so it should be fun. We've always had some kind of experience whenever we sign up for events. In fact, it is how I made my job connection. I think we are also planning to kick off the stay-cation (yes it got approved for all next week) at Morton's. Steak sandwiches and martini's ( a cosmo for me) here we come. I cant wait for next week. I am so excited to get to spend every minute with Matt. It will be so much fun tooting around together, just like always and will also be such a nice way to celebrate 6 months of marriage (even though that's not til the end of the month, we can still celebrate anytime we like).So enough long posts for now. Probably wont post again until next week or after. There is bound to be a story or two just waiting to happen!!**Note: The heat and humidity are still at work making everyone in Asia miserable. I thought by now we would have grown gills or something by now, but no such luck!
Poor Matt was sick all weekend. Guess we got a little gung-ho on Friday and he probably wasn't feeling as good as we thought. Bless his little heart, he just felt so miserable. But he's rested and recovered all weekend and is much better today. Lots of sleep, fluids, and spicy food to open up those sinuses seemed to help. We just kind of bummed around the apt all weekend & didn't get out too much ( I went to the store and pharmacy a couple of times). Last night he finally felt well enough to make it our for dinner so that was good. He even stumbled upon a shoe sale and bought a new brown leather pair. They look really nice. He even broke out those soccer shoes he has never worn, and looks so cute with them on! I think he has more shoes over here than I do! Seriously. A police officer opened fire this weekend not too far from our apt. That never happens. Apparently they had road blocks set up to test drivers for blood alcohol levels....there are several pubs & clubs down the street. I guess 1 driver started going the wrong way, against traffic, and a police fire off his gun to keep from getting run over. The driver was trying to evade police and the road block.....maybe he should have taken a different route OR not been drinking and driving. According to reports, they arrested 26 people for drinking and driving. I bought some meat from a gourmet market/butcher this weekend. Matt made us some hamburgers and brauts. Wish we had a grill though. It worked out just fine. I made some Texas-slaw. It was so yummy and made it feel a little like a backyard cookout. It was definitely a special treat!Cant wait to get back home, get settled, buy some furniture, paint, re-arrange, do yard work, decorate, etc....Hope everyone has had a great weekend. I am definitely looking forward to hearing how the Towe family reunion went. More later~
What a downer....Matt is at home sick today (actually still sleeping). Guess all the stress, tension, hard work + allergies & sinus crap, it has finally caught up with (he was just doing so good at taking his vitamins everyday). He is such the sweetest, cuddliest thing when he doesnt feel good. And he is so easy to take care of (he can do pitiful looks like I've never seen before in my life).I had the lovely task of venturing over to the doctors office yesterday...just takin care of the girlie stuff :) Luckily, I found an American doctor (an internist) who has a small clinic over here. He was nice but a little weird. He means well I can tell. Has a really nice office though and is professional and friendly. Anyways, I cant believe we have been here this long and this was really the first time either of us needed to go to the doctor. Knock on wood. But it is nice to know we have someone we can now go to for just about anything. We also found a optometrist next door that has everything Matt needs as far as contacts and solutions/cleaners/drops etc...It sure is nice having Matt at home during the day, even if he is sick. I never feel like we get to spend enough time together...I'm always wishing for more. So, I am definitely looking forward to the day that is coming up soon when he takes a few days off work for a stay-cation. I cant wait.Hope everyone back home is beating the heat!
Singapore now has a Chili's restaurant. No more slight-homesickness for us!!They just opened last Wednesday, so of course everything was complete chaos. But the food was awesome....enjoyed some chips & salsa and Presidente margaritas. And now we can go whenever we want :) We are definitely pumped about this one!Also, Matt took us to another Sunday brunch AND.....we even got to order champagne. Which is a totally different story. It seems like there is always some complication with this and I'm really not sure why, especially when it is advertised as their specials. Come on people. So, after much confusion, we find out there is no special (even though it is advertised on their front door) have to order off the menu, get the wrong bottle, bring it to a waitress's attention, argue for what seems like an hour ( yes, in front of the rest of the restaurant) and then we get to drink a $150 bottle of champagne and they give it to us for $70. Sweet. Thank goodness for Matt & his ability to talk to Singaporeans and understand how to. I kid you not, they will argue with you when they dont even know what they are talking about. It's ridiculous. And they think b/c we are white we will get frustrated & put up with it & pay for things we didnt order etc....but it will no longer fly with this duo. Sick and tired is a complete understatement. On Sunday morning ( before our brunch, which I should mention that food was actually really good) we woke up early and went for a nice jog (all the way over to the flyer) and walked back home. It was nice to just take a walk and enjoy the city and see some places to go and what's changing in the city & see improvement on construction projects, etc...It was so nice, a beautiful morning, and we just LOVE spending all our time together. Startin' to fit and fabulous for sure!!Good thing it is Monday. Another exciting week and weekend is just around the corner. And there is no telling what is will bring :)
So excited my friend Heather has created her own blog.....finally!! Hooray!We picked up our new wine rack last night and I cant wait to until we get to use it...that is, if we decide to take it out of the box instead of placing it nicely boxed up in the bomb shelter until we move back. Hmmmmm what to do? And yes, we, on the 36th floor, have a bomb shelter aka the storage room. Why have a bomb shelter on the 36th floor? Make sense to anyone? Typical Singapore for you.In other news, I made homemade sweet and sour prawns(shrimp to the folks back home) and it was super good. Quite the little chef over here :)I also spent like 4+ hours on Orchard road shopping yesterday and all I was able to bring home was a TimeOut Singapore mag (has events going on around Singapore and restaurant/shopping info) and a blank recipe book so I can write all my yummy finds in. It has been raining quite a bit the past several mornings, which our allergies do not appreciate. And, I found a mini triathlon I think Matt is considering entering. I would do it, but am just not a good swimmer, but I'm pretty sure he could....so maybe I'll just volunteer. (Slight confession**I just dont want to swim in THAT water by ECP...horrible, I know but it's not the clearest or prettiest). You all know how I am about the water. Go to the lake=LOVE it, but always stay on the boat and only dip in emergencies when you absolutely HAVE to.I am really starting to like being a homemaker. It was kind of trying the first couple of months, but I have learned to embrace it.Myself and Margaret(who is back in the US) are probably the only 2 single, American girls in Singapore who:1. Have no job2. Have no kidsBecause all the others have 1 or the other and believe me it is no fun going to the mall when the stroller gangs are there. So with that said:By gosh, I will be fit, fabulous and cook like Paula Dean if it kills me!
So yesterday was a typical Monday for both of us....I had to catch up on lost house work from the weekend and Matt was having the typical Monday blues. He always calls to let me know when he is heading home from work and in the middle of our conversation his cab showed up, he gets in, gives directions to the driver and resumes his conversation with me and then I hear all this noise. What in the world?!He got into a wreck....sitting in the back seat of a taxi. Wonderful. The cabbie made a u-turn(highly illegal) and a motorcycle ran right into him. Bad. They get out and start yelling at each other. So, one thing leads to another and Matt says I'll call you back, I should get off the phone. I tell him to say adios to the scene and get a new cab. Which, he did after giving the 2 guys his information. Forward a couple of hours, now Matt's information has been given to the police and the motorcyclist's attorney since he was a witness. LOVELY. ALL HE WANTED TO DO WAS GET HOME TO HIS LOVELY WIFE AND THEIR HOME....IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR??!!We are however, extremely thankful it was only a slight fender-bender, Matt didn't even feel it, and that he is ok. Thank God!!Who is ready for a trip back home? These two, for sure! Ready to be away from such craziness & missing home!More to come later, when the crazies settle down.
What a great weekend!We went to a comedy night Friday & had a great time.....although we sat in the old folks section. Not sure what that was about, but thats ok. We still had so much fun. I danced and sang all the songs (most of them) and Matt sat back and laughed at all the jokes. It was at a place called Howl at the Moon so they had 2 comedians perform as well as duelling pianos. Saturday we spent a couple hours in the Amara hotel shopping area. We had our 1st foot reflexology/massage ...even Matt. It hurt sometimes but afterwards our feet felt brand new and refreshed. We even found a place for Matt to get some contacts and eye stuff....definitely a bonus. Sunday we found a new mall called Great World City and like it so much. Its a little smaller and definitely less crazy than the others. We had dinner at the Pump Room, a favorite of ours, and celebrated our 5 month wedding anniversary. We discussed how sometimes it feels like we were married just yesterday and other times it feels like we have been together for years. But it so fun and we LOVE it!!Hope everyone else had a great weekend. More later
Marina Barrage Damn....keeps fresh water in, sea water out and prevents flooding.
SANDS construction....a little ways to go still
SANDS construction and view of the city
My sweetheart being silly....pushing over the towers
A better view of the Flyer
F-16 flying over bldgs just outside our windows
