A Day of Water

It happened. I knew it would. How could it not? I mean, something like that is way too tempting for a 2-year-old boy. Truth be told, I've been kept awake at nights fearing he'd climb out of his bed (something else he delights in doing) and do it all by himself while we're lost in slumber.

Hudson went swimming with the fish.

Every morning, Cheryl and the kids feed the fish in the koi pond. It's a little like feeding Digby, Hudson's daily chore. They both giggle with delight every time the fish bob for food on top of the water.

This morning, Cheryl turned her back to put the food back in the cabinet. Hudson saw his chance and climbed right into the water. I think he thought he could pet a fish. Why not? He did it at the touch tank at Underwater World.

Of course, Cheryl whisked him out of the water, peeled off his clothes and threw him immediately in the tub. I checked on the fish who were flying around the tank obviously all abuzz by the intruder, but okay otherwise.

Aw... toddlers.

It was a big day for swimming. We finished the day as we do every day: in the pool. Only today, Hudson wailed and wailed because he wanted to take off his safety float belt. I finally took it off and he tried like the dickens to swim on his own. I had to let him keep going underwater to realize he can't do it - and yet he kept trying. Not to be outdone by her younger brother, Maisie took off her swim belt, too, and swam half way across the pool all by herself! She's been able to swim for a while now, but she didn't THINK she could swim. I predict that by the end of the summer, they BOTH may be swimming on their own. WOW! Hudson is barely two!

Speaking of swimming, we have been able to watch more of the Olympics which has been great fun. Again, it's odd because prime time stuff here isn't what the US typically broadcasts, but my favorite sports are at least showing during the day and I've been able to see Americans in the finals. It's been kind of fun to watch the Olympics in another country accutely aware that we dominate. Again, I'm proud to be an American and also a little embarassed at all the riches we have. Speak ing of prime time, tonight they're not airing the Olympics at all, but an episode of Mr. Bean. I watched Rowan Atkinson's Olympic opening night bit - hysterical.

After our morning swim in the fish pond and fright as Hudson dove off my bed, we went to yet another indoor playground with their new buddy Mason. Heather brought her other son Kade with us, too. Kade is 12 so he was the one chasing all the little ones through the maze! Wahoo! Kade can come any time he wants (plus, he's a darn nice kid!) This place was called The Polliwogs. It wasn't nearly as tall as Amazonia, but wider by far so perhaps it's about the same size and it was much cheaper - and closer to our apartment. There was also a cafe for us moms to sip coffees while the little ones climbed this way and that. Again, there were all sorts of cool things within the maze including "guns" that shot balls (Hudson's favorite) and a trampoline that looked like water made out of gel, Maisie's favorite. The baby area was neat, too, because there was a slide that had water running under the plastic and there were more activities for tiny kids than usual including a turning carousel that you could climb inside.

Back home, there are a few of these places. The one close to us is called Kids U. The place hosts 9 birthday parties every weekend and makes a fortune. I keep wondering what a really fancy maze like this one could rake in any given weekend!

Polliwogs is located in Robertson Walk on Robertson Quay which runs along the Singapore River. The Walk makes me think of shopping centers in Coconut Grove, Florida and it's near where I met Penelope for coffee the other day.

After the kids had worn themselves out, we wandered over to a cafe called Baa Baa Black Sheep. The kids had nuggets and fries while Heather and I chowed down on Thai food. Man, I love that you can get anything you want here. I mean - anything!

While we were there, it began to pour, the kind of rain we used to call a "gully washer" back home. There was something really lovely about spending a lazy lunch under a big umbrella, eating Thai food, near a river. The rain really did wash the gullys out because on the way home we saw a GIANT snail on the sidewalk. It must have been 4" long. Maisie loves snails as they took care of one in her class at school. She was upset because I wouldn't let her kiss it!

 

Of course, the air was incredibly humid as we walked to meet them - and not so nice as I walked home either. I grew up in West Texas where it can get well past 100 degrees, but it's dry heat. I can do that, but this humidity? Ugh! My junior high gym teacher wouldn't let me play sports outside because I had an inability to sweat. Apparently, I've gotten over that. Sniff sniff. I took a shower when I got up to wake up, a shower to rinse off after our outing and another shower after swimming. 

It's a good thing Singaporeans are so energy conscious. We have in-line water heaters. Some Americans - including my mother-in-law - have those but here, they have a switch on the wall and you turn it on when you need it. The plugs are the same way. The up side is you can leave all your chargers plugged in and just flip the switch. That way you aren't draining power when you aren't using it. It's cool, but not so cool when Hudson is your son. He loves flipping those switches and I don't notice until I'm midway through an ice cold shower or realize my computer didn't charge after all. Besides, I can't stand looking at all those wires plugged into the wall much to Tom's dismay.

Time to wrap up. Cheryl has whipped up some noodle concoction. She cooked yet another fabulous meal after ironing all our laundry today - including the comforter and Tom's underwear! We are so spoiled! How will I adjust going home? And if we move here permanently, how can I expect my children to learn to do chores if I don't? Hmmm... food for thought.

Oh - and a quick shout out to my friend Jodi. She says the kids at the daycare she runs in her home are reading my blog every day. Maisie and Hudson are delighted! Thanks!

Art & Work

When I was a kid, two of my best friends Rodney and Van opened a snow cone stand. Only this wasn't your typical stand. Nope. These guys made hundreds of snow cones a day. Those mounded cones of shaved ice actually helped pay for college! They sold the stand for mega bucks, too. It was crazy.

I thought I'd never have a better snow cone. I just figured nothing else would every compare. Sorry boys, but today I discovered something called sago, a Japanese dessert made out of shaved ice, coconut milk, colored tapioca pearls, mango and melon with a strawberry on top! Yummy!

We had it at one of the really nice hawker stalls on our way back from The Singapore Art Museum where we were visiting Art Garden. As I understand it, this is the third year the museum has done Art Garden, a building located across the street from the actual museum that is converted into an interactive children's art project.

Each room has a different project for the kids to try. After Hudson finally stopped wailing (nap time ended too soon!), he joined Maisie decorating clay flowers by using found objects like keys and paper clips. The next room was a place to color and cut. Hudson preferred these giant, self-inking stamps.

From there we went upstairs to a darkened room. In one part, the kids danced in a tiny closet and then watched their video become a part of a moving montage on the wall. In another part of the room, they sang into microphones and watched their voices change patterns on the wall. 

Then came my favorite bit of the whole experience: dress up dolls - only these weren't paper dolls, but rather GIANT canvas dolls on the wall complete with different clothes, shoes and heads. The kids LOVED them - running from one to another velcroing these shoes there and that head there. Even Hudson understood it. There was also a giant cake in the middle to decorate with canvas bits. I kept thinking my aunt Georgann would love them - or my friend Julie, both artists.

In yet another area, the kids painted boxes that fit into a giant wall display. Hudson preferred stacking the boxes which was a-okay with the people who volunteered there. It helped that we were the ONLY people there today, one of the advantages of doing this stuff when all the ex-pats have gone home to see their families abroad.

The top floor was a dark room with a cool, giant tube thing filled with lights that reacted to motion. The final room was lit by a darklight, decorated with origami flowers and butterflies. Maisie made a flower all by herself and got to put it onto the wall. She was delighted!

Cheryl and I both loved the place as the kids were entertained, yet contained. We didn't have to run constantly after them and there wasn't all that much for them to destroy. Maisie misses all the art projects we used to do at home so this was a perfect day for her!

It was an afternoon totally different from my morning when I met my friend Yasmin's friend Glenn, a freelance journalist and media trainer here. What a lovely man! He took me to lunch at Hotel Fort Canning, a very cool private club that used to be the British office quarters in World War II. Of course, I forgot my camera.

Glenn gave me the low down on Singapore. His kids are 6 (a girl) and 3 (a boy) so he filled me in on local schools, places to go et al. Most eye-opening was the information on work. Journalists must be accredited and have a work visa. In order to do that, I have to get a company to sponsor me which means I need to get a job to get accredited. It's a chicken and egg kind of situation. I'm not so sure I can work here in the traditional sense I did before, but perhaps that's good. Maybe that'll force me to think outside the box and reinvent myself, something I've needed to do for a long time now. Funny thing? The American Women's Association has a lecture all about that very topic for the trailing spouses - meaning the spouses who don't work. I'm kind of excited about the possibilities here. I just need to find them.

Glenn was fabulous. He invited us to get together as a family over the weekend and even suggested we all go to Phuket together for a family holiday! WOW! Folks are so darn friendly here! 

For now, I'm going to enjoy yet another fabulous meal Cheryl made. Tee hee! We are getting so spoiled!

What a Difference Four Years Makes

Four years ago, I was on bed rest waiting for Maisie to arrive. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. I watched each and every Olympic event - or at least I thought I did.

Turns out, US television's version of the Olympics is quite different than Singapore's. Prime time viewing here is the hard-fought badminton games, a far different version of my favorite backyard past time as a kid. These women make such evil faces at each other and yell loud enough to throw Serena Williams off her game. The doubles tourneys make me laugh. I mean - it's badminton!

So while my friends at home talk about this event and that - more so the hot athletes - I sit here watching Austin Powers 2, grateful to have something in English that's not purely educational.

The whole day was kind of mindless. I got up early and met a friend of a friend for coffee. Penelope moved here in May from Wilton, CT - not too far from us. She grew up in the Midwest, but has lived other places including Spain - all with her job for IBM. Her husband is the one trying to figure out how to redefine himself - part of the "trailing spouse's" lot in life. She has kids even smaller than ours and lives about 10 minutes from us. We had a great time comparing notes on our initial impressions of Singapore. So far, we both really like it here...so far. OH - and get this: her dad is from my home town of Midland, Texas!!! I'm meeting more people from West Texas here than in New York!

We had coffee on Robertson Quay, a very cool area along the Singapore River. There were a ton of moms walking their strollers, kids on scooters and joggers galore. The riverfront is lined with cafes and eateries. I really liked it there. It made me think of the parks along the NYC rivers only more British feeling.

Funny thing? I took a cab. My driver was a Chinese woman dressed in traditional clothing, a rare sight here. She didn't know the address and pulled over to look it up on the map. The ride took 10 minutes and I still had quite a walk after she dropped me off. Guess what? The cafe where we met was a 10 minute walk from my house so I strolled home. I don't think she purposefully took me the long way. She genuinely didn't know quite where it was.

We both had yogurt - boring and a far cry from a local breakfast favorite I had the other day called Flosss. Yes - three s's. It's bread with ground up cheese and some kind of weird meat that kind of melts in your mouth. It's almost like a meat Krispy Kreme. Hard to imagine - I know.

The kids had a milk toast kind of day, too, doing absolutely nothing for the first 2/3 of the day. They were SO worn out from yesterday's four-hour delayed bedtime that I let them stay in their PJs and watch TV til noon. Truth is, I was afraid they'd meltdown on Cheryl all morning long while I was at coffee if I tried otherwise!

Finally at 3, I put them in the stroller and walked them to the local mall playground. The only way to get Hudson to take a nap these days is to walk with the stroller. That's good for me as it gets me out and moving. Amazingly, the meltdowns stayed at bay til bath time, but even that was short-lived. 

Okay - back to Austin Powers. Tom is at work still. He's been there for more than 12 hours and won't be home for several hours yet. Starting up business here is tough. I admire him more and more.

Indonesia!

 

"This doesn't seem too smart," I thought perched ALONE on top of a male elephant with giant tusks. I remembered back to Tom being hospitalized after being thrown when his horse spooked in the Dominican Republic. "What happens when an elephant wigs out? How the heck do you stop a 10,000 pound Sumatran elephant?! What are hospitals like here?" 

One of the coolest things about Singapore is island-hopping is a weekend ritual and every island is a different country. Our first such trip was spent in Bintan, Indonesia - a resort island just off the coast of Singapore in the South China Sea. Going here for the weekend is comparable to going to the Hamptons for the weekend from New York except when you arrive, you're immersed in a whole new culture.

To get there, we boarded a ferry for a high-speed, 45-minute ride. Outside, the water was dotted with MASSIVE ships and barges. Inside, the boat resembled an airplane with the somewhat similar seats. A movie screen played "Tom & Jerry" and "Daffy Duck" except Daffy was named Tang in the subtitles and the dog was Gufi. Even more bizarre? The subtitles often said, "Shit" for Daffy's exclamations. Thank goodness my kids can't read yet! The Asians aboard roared with laughter at Tom & Jerry which was far funnier to me than the cartoon.

The whole thing was quite civil - til we got to Indonesia where we had to apply for visas and go through customs. It should have been quite simple except that my passport is out of pages for visas! After lots of freaked-out customs agents conferred, argued and conferred again, they finally agreed to put the visa on a page where it didn't belong and let me into the country. I need to visit the US Consulate in Singapore this week!

We stayed at Bintan Lagoon Resort, a 4-star resort. In it's day, it was probably 5-star, but the place is a bit tired. Even so, it was pretty darn nice with two pools, lots of restaurants, bars, nightclubs, shops and the like. It also had a kids club where Maisie could hang for free. We paid a babysitter $8/hour to take Hudson there, too, while we had massages. Wahoo! 

The worst part? The food wasn't all that good. It wasn't terrible, but the food is SO good in Singapore that Imy expectations are really high no. I'm spoiled! Remember, the Dutch colonized Indonesia so they have amazing Indonesian food in Holland. Bintan? Not so much, but the talcom powder-like beach was so fabulous it didn't matter. Truly, the sand was soft and fluffy and stuck to everything. The beach was pretty much deserted for most of the morning except for a bunch of tiny crabs who fascinated the kids to no end. Slathered in sunblock, we baked in the hot morning sun while Asian tourists walked in the water cowering under umbrellas.

The fact we were swimming in the South China Sea was totally lost on them. I thought it was so cool! I expected the water to be all murky and gross, polluted from the massive barges. Instead, the water was crystal clear and Galveston-warm. I was in heaven. The kids? Not so much. We went all that way to see one of the nicest beaches on the planet and they wanted to go to the pool. Go figure. Then again, there were two, extremely kid-friendly pools complete with waterfalls and water slides.

The exciting news? Maisie was swimming without any flotation device! She's been able swim for a while now, but she didn't think she could. Hudson can now swim on his own with just a swim belt and wants absolutey no help. Living in apartment with daily swims in the pool has been so good for them!

Hudson also learned to order in a bar, shouting at the bartender, "Excuse me! Another milk, please!" Soon he'll ask for another beer in several languages. Maisie had her first Shirley Temple. Big mistake. She kept asking for them in what seemed to be a Brooklyn accent. "Shoiley Temple please." Ha!

The absolute highlight were the elephants located at another resort. Six Sumatran elephants put on a little show for us and one other dad and his two sons. One elephant put a basketball through a hoop, delighting Hudson to no end. Maisie and I danced with an elephant. Tom tried to field soccer balls kicked by an elephant. I asked one elephant to add 2 plus 2. Maisie took the number 4 out of her trunk once she finished the equation. Another elephant played the hormonica. The show ended with the ultimate photo op. They even dressed up Hudson and Tom. I loved Hudson's turban!

Riding the elephants was darn cool. I mean, really darn cool. I'm a bit jaded after all those years as a feature reporter. It's hard to beat driving race cars before sunrise, but this was definitely one for the memory books. Maisie and her daddy climbed on top of a female elephant. Hudson was supposed to ride with me, but he was TERRIFIED! The poor thing doesn't even like pony rides so sitting atop an elephant was absolutely horrifying for him. He shreiked and, if he could have, he would have climbed inside me. Afraid the elephant would spook, I handed him back to the elephant trainers. I was about to get off, too, but the guys whisked him away and he was laughing before I was out of earshot (I'd love to know their secret). I may have been a bad mommy, but I left him to the men and headed off into the jungle for my 15-minute ride. Maisie loved each and every second of it and kept screaming, "Yeehaw!" She cracks me up!

When I mentioned to the trainer that I grew up on the back of the horse, he slid off and let me ride alone for most of the "trek." Uh - elephants are far wider than horses and lumber along totally differently. For "reins" I held a skinny piece of rope.  I'd like to think I looked like Reese Witherspoon high up on Rosie in "Water for Elephants," but I know that's not the case. Bintan jungles are steamy. I more closely resembled a gal who just left the steam room. Nice. I finally had somebody taking pictures of me in Asia - the elephant trainer, not my husband - and I looked like a sweaty mess. 

When we got back from the "trek," we bought some baby bananas and fed our giant new buddy. Maisie was very brave. Hudson ALMOST fed one - then chickened out at the last minute!

It was all goofy stuff, but really nice to see. Sumatran elephants are in danger of extinction and while shows like this are a bit degrading for the elephants, they at least are looked after. I didn't see any of the bruises many trained elephants have. Their ears are smaller and back are more curved than African elephants. Also, only the males have tusks whereas both sexes have long tusks in Africa.

We took the last ferry home as all the others were booked. The kids got to bed at 11, 4 hours later than usual! Hudson went back to his pack and play after sharing a twin bed on the floor with his sister on Bintan, his first night in a big boy bed. Friday night, he wandered the room all night. I've been expecting days of tired kids and total tears, but only a few minor meltdowns the past few days. Maisie did another self-portrait, this one of herself smiling. Whew.

Today, we're back to reality in Singapore. Odd that an apartment on the other side of the planet is home - at least for a while. Another thing to love about Cheryl? The apartment was immaculate when we got home. Today? She did all our vacation laundry! WAHOO!!!!

Work, Work, Work

Day three: Maisie continues to be in a good mood! Even so, our downstairs neighbor banged on our door this morning complaining about the noise - this time happy sounds. Sigh. Poor guy. He won't win on this one. Kids are kids and no matter how I ply them with early morning TV and electronics, they are loud. I feel sorry for the poor fella. Tom hates him. 

With Maisie in a good mood at long last, I now can turn my attention to more important matters like what my weight is doing.

I eat Asian food primarily which means I'm eating lots of noodles and rice. Yummy! I have no idea what the calorie count is since I don't even recognize half the ingredients in my meals! 

On the other hand, I walk everywhere for hours on end, often pushing a double stroller loaded for bear with 50+ pounds of kids. I also swim every afternoon though not lap-swimming, but rather play-with-the-kids swimming. All of this while dealing with the heat. Surely, combating the heat is burning up calories, don't you think?

Yes dammit, the heat is still here - worse than ever. I'm seriously considering buying some gel packs for my bra. You know the kind? The ones nursing moms use to give up breast-feeding? Yup - I'm thinking they'll cool me off and give me added cleavage to boot. Maybe I should patent that idea and sell it to Victoria's Secret? Surely there are other hot women in the world willing to try anything to cool off?

I took the kids around the corner to the Curry Puff for lunch. They both wolfed down Chicken Puffs which are like moon-shaped chicken pot pies. They are far easier to eat than our version of the same. The friend bananas, however, were not a hit at all. Stunner. Maisie wanted a croissant for dessert, not a chocolate croissant, just a plain one. It's her new discovery and she asks for them daily. 

Then since Maisie was in such a good mood, I decided to visit Tom's office. What was I thinking?

Financial areas are not meant for kids. Negotiating the street with a double-wide ain't easy - nope - ain't easy at all. Heck, just FINDING the lift is a challenge. Tom? He walks a couple of blocks (more like gimps since his GOOD Achilles is hurting him!), rides the MRT two stops and walks two minutes to his building. The same 20-minute trip took me frickin' forever! When we got out of the subway, Maisie said, "Mommy, we're in New York City!" For her, any place with really tall buildings is NY and I guess it all does kind of look the same - except there are far more plants here.

Tom works on the 40th floor of the Ocean Financial Center near the Raffles Hotel. The front lobby is very sleek and the area where folks eat lunch is pretty cool. He has a tiny closet for an office. Of course, his office is far bigger than Cheryl's bedroom. Even so, I think he can literally touch the walls with his arms outstretched. The worst part is there's no window. That's a shame because he COULD have an amazing view of the bay including the Marina Bay Sands Hotel (that cool boat-on-top place) and the science center. I walked along the bay and tried to get a cab. No luck - just more frickin' heat. FINALLY I found one and the guy took us to Sentosa because he totally didn't understand me! That's like saying you're on the Upper West Side, ask to go to the Upper East Side and end up at Battery Park. However, folks are really nice here and he took me where I'd asked without even batting an eye or charging me anything. Yesterday, my cab broke down on the way home from Joy's and my cabbie jumped out and got me another one. In the subway, there are uniformed people to help you navigate your trip. Imagine!

I give Tom a lot of credit. He's here trying to make contacts which is a slow-going process. He's gone from a very busy, transactional day surrounded by friends in a very jovial office to sitting alone in a box hoping people will return his phone calls. He works incredibly long hours dealing with both Asia and the US. If he pulls it off, he'll be a hero. I really admire him for braving something new. Some days are good. Some days aren't so good. Today was interesting. He dropped his new cell phone down the elevator shaft 29 floors. So now he's already on his second phone in two weeks!

We stopped for ice cream. I think the ice cream is throwing the noodle/walking ratio off. Maisie danced for everybody in the middle of the mall and then we ended the day like we end most days... with a swim. Both kids are now swimming with just float belts and want very little help from Mommy or Cheryl. Bad news since - for the first time EVER - I ran out of swim diapers and Hudson was paddling around the pool today diaperless. Yes, it happened. Hudson pooped. Dear God! At home, they close the pool and shock it with chlorine when that happens. Oh the shame!

Time to eat some more of Cheryl's yummy cooking...some kind of noodle concoction! Tomorrow, we'll take a ferry for a weekend in Bintan so there may be a delay in my blog. Stay tuned!