madameblogalot

During our time in Singapore, we made a few outings for cycling. We enjoyed all of the cycling paths that we used. One of our old favorites, the Yishun cycling path, made for an enjoyable evening for many friends of all ages. The path runs along a canal leading to the sea and ends at Bottle Tree Village.

We had several kids and adults head out with all the bikes piled in the back of the truck (this meant two trips to get all the folks to the path!) I forgot how long the path is but it is a nice leisurely ride. All of the little boys had a grand time, especially the two on brand new bikes! Afterward, they all rode down the new sidewalk that leads out to a coffee shop near Admiralty Road. My daughter and I decided to brave it home on our bikes to leave more room for the little ones and their bikes to be transported back home.

This turned out to be an adventure in itself. It was getting dark and I made a choice to chance a “short cut” which wasn’t so short. All in all it took us about an hour to get home. And my daughter was not feeling too great during the last bit of the ride. And it was getting crowded with many folks getting off work at that time. But we stopped for an icee and made our way back. I ended up having a good time even if we did get “lost”. Actually, I think that was good as it made me more attentive to landmarks and made me learn my way around even better.

Our kitchen was remodeled several years ago. I still really like the way everything looks. I do at times wonder though if putting in a white ceramic sink was the best option. I like it and the way it looks. Except for the scratches. And for how dirty it gets. And how quickly it shows that it’s dirty. I do get tired of scrubbing it so much!

We did have a stainless steel sink previously. I liked it ok, but thought maybe it wouldn’t go “just right” with the new kitchen decor. But I guess in reality, the stainless steel sinks are pretty timeless. They are kind of like black or navy blue, they really do just go with everything!

I suppose getting a stainless steel sink would be a practical choice for any kitchen. I would also guess they are the most affordable too. If I had it to do over again, I wonder which sink I would choose.

Also known as, “Yee Sang”, “Yusheng” “Lo Hei” or my preference “Raw Fish Salad”. This traditional New Year’s Salad is served most often in the Chinese cultures in Malaysia and Singapore. It consists of many raw sliced/shredded vegetables and raw fish such as mackerel or salmon. The veggies are in a large platter and added to this are many spices and a plum sauce and then the fish. Each of these represents some form of prosperity for the coming new year. As each ingredient is added, a “blessing” or calling out of prosperous words is announced. After all ingredients have been added, the fun begins! Everyone grabs his/her chopsticks and begins tossing the salad. Literally. The higher the better. The tossing is another form of asking for prosperity and the higher you toss, the more prosperity you receive! As the tossing takes place, everyone is shouting new year blessings and greetings, making for a fun and silly time before digging into the cool refreshing salad!

*for pictures, please see my other blog

I was tagged on this blog meme, so thought I’d work it in about my recent trip:

I like getting to go visit my sister.
I like the chance to visit another country.
I like being able to “live” in another culture.
I like having “communal” meals.
I like that I was open to trying more dishes than ever before.
I like that I did not have jet lag as bad as previous trips.
I like that friends lent us their bikes.
I like that we got to stay at the church building.
I like that our hosts allowed me to wear my indoor shoes indoors.
I like celebrating Chinese New Year.
I like watching the kids learn new phrases.
I like shopping for souvenirs.

I love being all together.

Today was fun remembering parts of our trip.

I hate being away from my husband.
I hate worrying about my son.
I hate not having internet connection (no access to communication with husband.)
I hate when kids are cranky.
I hate whining.
I hate it when I don’t feel good at someone else’s house.
I hate it when I find out I have food poisoning-and so do my mom and daughter!

I (secretly) like that I lost four pounds while gone, without even trying (of course, this could have something to do with the food poisoning!)

I love coming home.

Early in our trip we were blessed by three sisters who treated us to the Sakura Buffet. It was amazing! First we went to their home for tidbits and drinks and a little visiting. Then we all walked over to the restaurant which was very nearby. I believe it is the one located on Choa Chu Kang Ave 1 blk 253. I think this is a fairly new location. At any rate, we loved the look of the restaurant and of course of all the food available! There were fried foods, salads, noodles, meats and fish that we could choose for them to cook for us, steamed foods, and desserts including ice cream.There was also sharks fin soup which I did not see til I was getting dessert and by then I didn’t want to try it. Everything was delicious. I loved the fried prawns and vegetable cakes. My daughter ate so many fried shrimp that our hostess-who usually does not care for prawns-had to give them a try! I didn’t try anything too “out there”-some eel, yam soup (delicious!), and a small whole fish-actually not too bad. The little boys loved the white chocolate/green tea dessert. I am not sure if that is because it was so tasty, or simply that it looked like eating eyeballs! We left the place stuffed and grateful to our hostesses!

With spring break upon us, I have been taking advantage of the time off for the kids to catch up on sleep! Hopefully I will be able to get over the jet lag this week, though I highly suspect that I am just getting lazy laying in bed all morning!

But for those who would rather get out and do something a little more thrilling, there are some great places to visit. Family friendly places are often found in amusement parks. As those in the NorthEast will be getting their spring breaks a little after us here in the south, there are some great NJ Amusement Rides to take in along with some great spring specials. I hear you can save up to 35% at Morey’s Piers Amusement Parks! This sounds perfect for the kids and mom and dad too!

We have seen the traditional lion dance a time or two on different trips to Singapore. There were many taking place during this trip as it was Chinese New Year. On the second day of the lunar new year, we were lucky to come across a dragon dance taking place in front of one of the homes near where we were staying. There were also two lions involved. We of course stopped the car and got out for photos and videos!

The dragon dance is more auspicious than the lion dance and probably cost this family a good deal. I guess they were needing to cleanse the house and bring some very good fortune to their home for the new year.

On our recent trip we learned of a couple who is shifting out to live overseas. The move from Singapore to Canada will likely be a huge adjustment. The wife told me that she will be taking some clothes and some books and everything else will have to stay behind. I can’t even imagine trying to readjust to such a move! It is basically starting over. In addition to adjusting to the climate differences (from tropical weather year round to The Great White North), finding jobs, finding childcare, searching for apartments for rent, finding grocery stores and other places of business will each have its own struggles. I heard the couple has family in Canada and I am sure they will be of help in such a big move. Just looking for an apartment will surely be nerve-wracking as the process will likely be different than what the couple has known in their life up til now. I wonder if they can use online apartment search sites to give them some ideas before they get there? I wish them all the best in their upcoming new venture!

On Chinese New Year Day everyone dresses in new, bright clothes. After church, each family had their photo made out front in the garden area. My sister had bought all of us bright new shirts to wear. It made for a nice picture.

my daughter, me, my mom, my sister

That evening we were excited to go to the river area to see the festivities at the River Hong Bao. I think this is to be red packet treat for everyone.

There was a floating dock lit up with festive scenes. There was even a floating stage which would host the evening’s show. There was a carnival set up complete with lights, music, food and carnival rides.

We enjoyed seeing the lit up scenes,

the view of the city

and the Singapore Flyer.

A couple of the younger guys used some of their Hong Bao money to ride the bumper cars. The show did not hold our attention as long, but it was a great night of fun for us and the thousands of people we shared it with!

Late in our trip one of the things we did was to visit a local doctor clinic. I put this down as a cultural educational experience on my daughter’s school calendar. This was not a visit to tour the clinic, though my mom and daughter both had to visit the facilities to take care of the symptoms that go along with food poisoning! My daughter said that she didn’t know puking into a hole in the ground (a squatting toilet) was educational!

Another thing we learned is just how cheap it is to visit a doctor and get medicines under socialized medical care. We spent $22 each and each got our own bag of prescribed medications there on the spot.  This is good for folks like us with no insurance.

If you are going to be needing health insurance, an easy way to start the search is to get quotes online. Finding quotes online means you can do the search anytime that is convenient for you and you are able to quickly compare several rates at the same time. The convenience of getting multiple insurance quotes makes an unfun task more pleasant. If you need Oregon, Texas or Connecticut insurance or anywhere in between, check out your choices quickly, easily and for free! This includes auto, health, life, home and even business insurance quotes.