COMING TO A TOWN NEAR YOU....

AUG 31-Tokyo

SEPT 1-Tulsa

SEPT 3-Woodstock, Vt

SEPT 8- Tulsa and surrounding

OCT 1-Singapore

Hope to see you all soon. Please pray for safe flights as we embark on our adventure! Until we see you in person-
Cheers!

1 TO GO!

1 to go and we can hardly wait! I'm sure this week will feel like the longest week of our lives. We are definitely getting ready for our trip home. Not too much to post this week, since I am busy planning & packing, trying to keep the laundry pile at zilch, finding papers, etc....
Had an awesome weekend....just never seems to last very long.
More to come later....maybe before we leave.
Until then
Cheers!

FRIED TOFU & AIR SUPPLY (aka out trip to hong kong)

On top of the Peak

View from the Peak @ night

View from dinner

Like straight up on the funicular

Busy HK street

HK street

Bank of China tower....supposedly has bad feung shei b/c of the sharp edges

There is so much to tell....

Let's see where can I start? I think a list may help organize my thoughts

1. Hong Kong has tons and Tons and TONS of hi-rise apt buildings. Weird thing is, there didnt seem to be any nice part seperated from a bad part. The ugly poor buildings were mixed in with the brand new nice buildings. Some hotels even have what I called "the ghetto shanty town" right out the front door.

**Tip for travelers** Research exactly the location of your hotel. Nobody likes to get lost in a foreign country trying to find a hotel that is supposed to be right next door to The Four Seasons (and by right next door apparently they meant 5 miles West).

2. Ghetto Shanty town is the part of town where the outside of all the buildings are molding, taxis can barely drive down the narrow street, there are a ton of butcher shops around, you think this could be the "unofficial fish market". Also you will see a pig's head hanging in their store.

**Tip for travelers**Nobody likes the smell of raw, hot pigs head. Careful where you walk. Also shark's fin means the actual tail fin (just in case you were looking to purchase one or like 10).

3. Sometimes all there is to see is the actual building or green park. Better off going to St John's Church which was once used a club for Japanese officers during WW2.

4. The Peak tram literally goes straight up the mountain. Like an incline so bad, you are in the back, holding on, looking straight up at the front of the car. My mother would have passed out. Especially the part where it is just a ledge next to you.

**Tip for travelers**Fight to the death for a seat so you dont have to stand. Not too much fun when you're hands are sweating, feet are sweating and your hands are sliding off the pole in front of you....all while trying just to stand. God bless Matt's strength.

5. **Other tips for travelers**

*Nobody will take your HK coins back or exchange them. Suckers. Free coins from HK for the first 4 people who comment on this post. Seriously.

*Victoria Peak is awesome. A must-see must-do. Only if you are with someone who is not afrad of heights or who does not have a fear of the train just falling or coming off the tracks. Funicular.

*Sundays are days of for FDW (FDW=foreign domestic workers=maid & nannies). They are literally everywhere.

*You are definitely spoiled if you live in Singapore.

*Sometimes things are so much harder & more complicated than they need to be.

*sometimes in the hotel lounge, when having dinner, expect to be offered fried tofu (as a birthday treat) and hearing the girls voices starting to sing the words "I'm all out love, I'm so lost without you". Brought to you by the letters, W, T, and F.

* Dont be surprised if during your "fisherman's buffet" at your hotel aka the dinner that comes with the package, you see 2 Asian girls on a small stage dressed in short black skirts, mini halter-tops and lace necklaces.....they are the band and do in fact know plenty of 80's and 90's slow love songs. All I want to know was where was the pervert in the back & all the smoke lingering in the air?

All kdding aside. Hong Kong was definitely an adventure for us. We had our share of great times and times where baby had a break-down because of the lack of clean toilets (I wanted to put the hand sanitizer you-know-where). We definitely are a great traveling team. It was an unforgettable birthday & I am so lucky to have such an amazing husband that will take me on luxurious trips all over the world! It has definitely made us realize even stronger what an amazing, clean, safe, efficient, happy but crazy, little island we get to live on. So appreciative and thankful we are American getting to live in Singapore.

And God bless Matt for being such a wonderful, smart, supportive husband!!

Anyone wanting to enture to HK, give us a shout, maybe we can offer some tips & advice.

CHENG CHENG CHENG

So Matt & I had dinner last night @ a Thai place in Chinatown....they have the best cold beers (like the cold ones with ice stuck on the bottle). Anyways, a monk was walking down the street & the waitress said hi but he didnt respond, uhm because he was talking on his cell phone so she yelled out "CHENG CHENG CHENG!!!". Seriously. Then we all started laughing. I'm pretty sure she called the monk selfish or arrogant or something to that effect.

So happy today is Friday. We kicked it off by having breakfast @ Starbucks out near Matt's work. Definitely the best way to start off the morning. And the girl was really nice. She told Matt he could call early before they open & let her know his order & he could stop by & pick it up before they "officially" opened. Especially if it was something simple like regular coffee & a muffin. How nice?! That's service in Singapore for you!

Tonight we are going to have some Chili's for dinner & then we are off to the Fullerton Hotel for the chocolate buffet my parents bought for both of us for my birthday. YUMMY! I cannot wait. Not only is the Fullerton one of THE loveliest hotels in Singapore, the service & staff seemed super friendly & helpful when my parents stayed there. I cannot wait.

Tomorrow we have a 640am flight out of Singapore for a short weekend trip to Hong Kong!! what a blast it is going to be. I cant wait for that either. Hopefully we get some sleep (zzzzz) on the plane. After today & tonight, I'm sure we'll both be exhausted.

Keep tuned in for pictures after the weekend.
Cheers!

AFTER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND....

We had a very wonderful holiday weekend! National Day in Singapore was definitely nothing less than very successful! What a proud country!

Friday was a Nordam bowling tournament that Matt & his group participated in. Their team was called United Nations: Matt=American, Yanni=Burmese, Hussein=Chinese Indonesian, Chin=Malaysian, and Allen of course is Singaporean and a perfect example of that. I think they took 5th place.....We all left before the awards ceremony so we could take in some yummy food at East Coast Park. We had a few Tiger beers and some bbq stingray, bbq chicken wings, oyster omelet and of course some delicious Singapore chili crab! His group all came from bowling & were so sweet to answer all my crazy questions! They really are so sweet & nice. Such good, good guys.

Saturday we ventured over to Kampong Glam & Arab street. We just wandered the streets.....tons of fabric & carpet/rug stores. We even had a local dish called Tulang, which is Mutton/Beef Soup.....tastes like lamb stew or something. I was brave & even sucked the marrow out of the bone (GROSS) and Matt tried but wasnt quite as successful. The dish is a very deep bright red & our hands were stained for the rest of the day. The lovely woman who was working the stall definitely made our experience even better. She was so helpful & so sweet! God bless her.

Sunday was National Day.....we stayed at home a bit....not sure the crowds were going to be for us this year. So we opted to stay at home & order pizza & watch the festivities on tv. We could hear the F-16's though, so that is cool. Then after the parade was over we made it to The Pump Room to catch the Man Utd vs Chelsea game. Unfortunately I wasnt feeling too well so we came home & watched the 2nd half from our condo.

Monday we did absolutely nothing. I got up early & found some treats at the grocery, came home and we made some delicious brunch together. Then we spent the rest of the day being lazy. Which was good. I could tell Matt was getting antsy, but the wife always knows he needs his rest. So I held my ground & made sure he had a relaxing afternoon.

Looking forward to this weekend, my birthday and our trip to Hong Kong....I cannot wait. I know we are both soooo ready to get back home & its just about 3 weeks away!!

GOOD THING IT'S WEDNESDAY

It is most definitely a good thing it is Wednesday! Halfway through the week and a long weekend to follow with Monday off for Matt for National Day! Haha 4th of July suckers! Ok-that wasnt very nice, I apologize. But I am so excited for the weekend to be here. On Friday, I get a special treat & am going out to the SAFRA at Tampines to watch Matt & his Nordam team compete in a bowling tournament! And I will be baking a special Singapore style National Day cake for his team....cause they love when I bake!

In other news, Congrats to my brother! I hear he has been doing an exceptional job at UBS! He has been selected to help teach the incoming "class" or newbies the ropes. I am so proud of him & all his hard work. Tons of hard-working hours have been poured into his job & it is nice to hear that it is paying off for him. Way to go bubs!
Also, congrats to our good friend Ryan S....for landing a new job in Tulsa. Life has taken him down a different path in recent months, moving him back to Tulsa & looking for a different career & we are so excited for you! You'll do just great! We are glad you have come back to Tulsa!

Today is going to be a VERY busy day. I have a Dr's appt, we have someone coming to service/maintenance our AC, have prescriptions to pick up, and dinner with some NORMAL Americans. Matt is taking 1/2 the day so I dont have to be here with unknown crazies working in our apt (He's so thoughtful & sweet). So, lots to do, more to come later.

AWESOME

We had an awesome weekend.....(time for another list post)
1. Celebrated our 7th month of marriage Friday at a delicious Italian restaurant! It was sooo good and I had the best time with Matt. We always have such a good time together, no matter what we're doing.

2. Saw the movie the Hangover....loved it, hilarious, want to see it again already. Matt chuckled the whole way through, and to be honest, so did I!

3. Had a happy hour + dinner at one of our favorite Mircobrews called the Pump Room. Love that place! Best microbrew beer I've ever had!

4. Had a wonderful relaxing, lazy Sunday. Love spending time with Matt just doing nothing. Got lots of stuff done! And lots of planning for our Hong Kong & Tokyo trips.

Hope everyone had a safe, wonderful weekend. I can hardly believe it's August already! Time has definitely been flying by so fast.
More to come later-