Raffles Hotel

Raffles Hotel is one of the most famous landmarks on the island and the first stop on the official Civil District Trail #2.




It is incredible - there are no words to describe it. It is huge - it takes up one entire city block:



The outside deck area:


The entry hall is beautiful:


The Courtyard is breathtaking:




And of course, it is famous for the drink the Singapore Sling.

Nope, I haven't tried it yet but Steve promises to order one for him and I will take a taste of it. No spatula needed to take ME home.

SINGAPORE SLING
The Singapore Sling was created at Raffles Hotel at the turn-of-the-century by Hainanese-Chinese bartender, Mr. Ngiam Tong Boon.
In the Hotel's museum, visitors may view the safe in which Mr. Ngiam locked away his precious recipe books, as well as the Sling recipe hastily jotted on a bar-chit in 1936 by a visitor to the Hotel who asked the waiter for it.

Originally, the Singapore Sling was meant as a woman's drink, hence the attractive pink colour. Today, it is very definately a drink enjoyed by all, without which any visit to Raffles Hotel is incomplete.

Recipe

30ml Gin

15 ml Cherry Brandy

120 ml Pineapple Juice

15 ml Lime Juice

7.5 ml Cointreau

7.5 ml Dom Benedictine

10 ml Grenadine

A Dash of Angostura Bitters

Garnish with a slice of Pineapple and Cherry

You may read more about the Raffles Hotel here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raffles_Hotel

Steve and I decided we would stay here the day after we got rich - the 12th of never.

I personally don't think there is enough money in the world to make me want to stay here. It is not my class of hotel, but it is truly amazing to look at. The history of it is what attracts me to partake in its beauty.

The Armenian Church

How do we get so side tracked? Saturday we started out going for a burner for Steve's BBQ pit. When we left the BBQ place, we wandered a few blocks down and I saw the biggest banyan tree ever - high up on a hill. Wandering around a bit, we discovered the 'hill' was actually Ft Canning. We climbed up the hill, and boy did we find a treasure of a park. It is beautiful! Not going to share about that now, but more about it another day. After browsing around a bit, we went down a path, headed to eat and we found a placque outlining a couple of tours. We have seen so many buildings we had an interest in learning more about, so this was our chance! So we started taking Trail 2 of the Singapore National Heritage Board Trail downtown.

More about these trails can be found here: http://www.nhb.gov.sg/pe/sites_trails/civic_district_trail_2.html

Well, as with everything else we find in Singapore, the directions from place to place is about as clear as mud - but we did find some interesting places. I am going to list them individually on my blog so when I go to scrapbook about it, I will be able to find them easily.

This is the Armenian Church on Hill Street. It is a wonderful place to browse through - sitting just below Ft Canning.



"Modelled after the Mother Church in North Armenia, this is Singapore's oldest Christian church. It was built in 1834-1835 and dedicated to St Gregory the Illuminator. Take a walk in the peaceful memorial garden where pioneers of the Armenian community are buried. Here too lies the grave of Miss Agnes Joaquim, after whom Singapore's national flower Vanda Miss Joaquim is named."

"The small, but elegant building does great credit to the public spirit and religious feelings of the Armenians of this settlement The Church is one of the most ornate and best finished pieces of architecture that this gentleman ( Coleman ) can boast of.."

Singapore Free Press (1936)



More can be read about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Gregory_the_Illuminator



It is a very quaint, small church with a quiet area in the back. It was very inviting:



Once we got in, what we saw took our breath away. These sculptures are incredibly old and very moving.


There was a cemetery in the back area as well, the headstones and markers were incredible to look at. For whatever reason, I have always been drawn to cemeteries - the story on a head stone often says so much more than the dates. I try to read the 'dash' of the people buried there.

My color on my camera was off (I think it has something to do with the operations manager) but I have no energy to try to work it out today - so please excuse lack of color and integrity of the photos.

We spend the entire day going from one treasure to another. I am so glad we started this tour. Oh, we never found that huge banyan tree in Ft Canning either :-(

Car Toys

Or shall I say taxi toys? Can comeone please tell me the big deal about the toys on taxi dashes? I must say some are pretty interesting to look at... if you dare look out the front window... and nearly every taxi has them. I don't know if regular cars here do or not - I am not privy to that information - I only ride in taxi's... lol...

Here is one from today:

Cool huh?

All Better Today :-)

I have finally about caught up on my resting and woke early (around 4am our time) and laid in bed looking out the window at our beautiful view. That is one great thing about where we live - we could not have a better view, unless of course we were on the 16th floor. As I looked at the stars (and lightening in the distance), I realized how truly blessed I am. I have a wonderful hubby, a great family, children we are extremely proud of, grandchildren we obsess over, sisters and brothers we love dearly, food in our tummies and a home - in fact in two places we have a home. One Schlumberger gives us in Singapore and the other is our very own piece of earth in Louisiana, USA. How much better can it get? Yes, indeed I am all better today. I was definitely overtired.

Steve came in late again last night. I know he has to be exhausted too. Again, I don't know how he does it.

I have some news to share that I have kept pretty much between family and friends I see routinely. I am ready to let everyone in on it. I stepped on the scale this morning and I can proudly say I have lost 52 lbs now! At first I was unbelieving. I bought another scale at home for proof that the old one had not died. Then when I came to Singapore I bought one - and it matched the other two within 3 pounds. I have diligently tried to lose weight - it has not come easy, but it is steadily coming off. While at home, I finally got the nerve to pull out the book I had started nearly 2 years ago, with my original weight in it. I looked and (gulp!) indeed I had lost. I took out the trusty tape measure and I have lost 13.75 inches on the 5 parts of the body I dared measure... rofl... I did add more today. I made my weight loss official when I found my medical records while home - with a weight in 2006. I knew then I was on the right track. It was not my all time high, but it definitely showed a huge loss.

While I was home I had to buy new clothes. Not an easy feat since I needed hot weather clothes and it is winter there - but I did find some, thankfully on clearance.

How have I done it? I have not dieted. I have tried every diet known to man and none worked for me. I had not had my tummy stapled as I am scared to death of the complications Pauline had - so very many we nearly lost her. I don't think I was 'obese' enough to even be considered any way - but I am not sure. I didn't try.

So what did I do?

1. I cut back my portions tremendously.

2. I cut back on starches. Man was that hard. (Once I got over the craving though - it was much better)

3. I make myself wait a minimum of 15 minutes before I can get seconds of anything - 20 is better. By then I am over it.

4. I make sensible choices most of the time. Of course, I do cheat, but I make myself do without something else when I do.

5. No eating between meals. I do occasionally 'eat' a frozen orange juice. If I have a horrible hunger pain, I drink water, wait 10 minutes and allow myself one hard candy if it continues.

6. I started stretching exercises when I am doing anything.

Brushing teeth, I do a squat for a count of 50 - I started at barely making 25. When I am paused watching tv, I do side bends for a count of 50, I bend over and touch the floor for a count of 50, I sit and touch my toes for a count of 50... anything I can think of I start doing and I work up to the count of 50. Loading laundry, I am tippy toeing for a count of 50, I have added more exercises as the days go on, but always working up to the count of 50. That was easy because in Singapore, we have a stupid tick-tock clock that clicks every second. 50 seconds of every repetition. One thing I have found to stretch my tummy muscles (I hate sit ups, they have always hurt my back) is to sit on the side of the bed, lay back, legs hanging, stretch my arms overhead and... count to 50... lol.

I don't think I walk here more than I did at home. Only occasionally if I do so. I do think I am much more conscious of how healthy people are here compared to the USA. Everyone here is conscious of exercising by walking, skating, biking, running... you name it, they do it. The choices of food here are generally much better than at home, and much smaller portions. When I look in a mall, I see the 'Sing choices' and the American choices; KFC, McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut... you get the idea... I think it helped me to realize how unhealthy our choices are at home and how HUGE they are!

The one thing that kills me is my craving for Coke. I do still crave it, but I take the plunge and treat myself about 3 times a week.

When I get on a plateau, I add more calories for about 3-5 days, then back off. The next day I start losing again.

I still have a long way to go, but I am still proud of myself. I have cheated myself and my dear hubby for so many years, but I know I cannot take that back. I will only continue to go forward from here. I wish I had done this years ago. The results are not as pretty as they would have been years ago, but I still feel so much better. Health wise, it could not have hurt me. I am anxious to see how my physical comes out in December.

One thing happened to me while I was home that stunned me. I was shopping 3 different times, and I had 'comments', 'approving looks' or 'cat calls'. If you know my story, you know my heart would have previously stopped and I would have back slid. This time, I was ok with it. I was able to be proud and keep on going. He is finally gone and has no control over me any more. What a healing thought that is. It only took 32 years... and I only have eyes and ears for my hubby, so those are only compliments now.

Anyway, I am going to find something fun to do today - I need to get out of the condo. Hope you have a great day! This weekend is coming and I can't wait to spend it with my hubby.

Posting in an Icky Mood - Watch Out... rofl...

The trip was long. So. Very. Long. 23 freaking hours on a plane - PLUS layovers. How in the heck does he do it so often?

I was so exhausted yesterday I struggled to do anything - including eat. Steve, on the other hand, went and worked a full 12 hour day. I know he was tired too. I just don't know how he does it. We got ready for bed at 10-ish. I *hate* being short. I reached to get my new toothpaste from a shelf very high for me (where he put it) and of course he had placed his razor and his trimmer on top of it. It fell, hitting my lip as it came down. I cannot even see up there - so how could I know it was there? My lip got busted, the darned trimmer got busted - so now I have to buy a new one - again. I was already tired and that certainly did not help. I moved all my sh** to the other bathroom and placed it all on the shelves I can reach. No more busted lips. Right?

This morning I went in to make his sandwiches. I reached up to get a paper plate and I will be darned if one of his plastic sandwich containers didn't come down and smack me in my head. I reached up, trying to stop the toppling of the objects just as the second container smacked my glasses. Both the containers and lids were on TOP of the paper plates. HELLO?!? I can barely reach the paper plates, and when I stretch to get them, my shirt is hanging over the stove. Nice if it is turned on. I have to be very careful not to catch on fire. I cannot SEE what is on top of what I already have to STRETCH to reach!

I HATE BEING SHORT. I am 5' 4" and every freaking thing I need must be put up on the highest shelf possible so I must either 1)ask him to get it, or 2) find a ladder to get it. I don't expect all things to be within my reach, but the things I use most often would be handy. In this condo - it is not like we have some great options to put things - very little cabinet space and poorly designed, so not all is Steve's fault. In fact, most is mine - I am simply in a crabby mood and those two things did not help.

Today has not gotten any better. I feel so alone. I knew this was going to happen - go home and enjoy being there, come back and be utterly alone - and horribly homesick. I know I have friends here, but with all that is going on with Steph and Megan, I just feel useless. Steve works very long days - partly because he shares a taxi with others and because he has so many things to get done. His job sucks here. He is not enjoying it at all. He comes home and does not talk about work - he leaves it there; so I am in the dark about how bad/good it is or what is going on. I know it cannot be good if he is not talking. Hints of comments come and I can hear dejection in his voice - I know. It is no better for him than it is for me. Of course, we will both get through it.

Yesterday, we didn't have a thing in the house to eat. I went to the store and needed to shop. I did not have a dollar - which means I could not get a basket. Remember the handy baskets with coins? I could not get a basket. I had to shop in my pull behind cart and did not get everything I need - which means another trip to the store - another walk to the store to get what I need and a walk home again. In the heat. Or rain. Or both.

I hear from my sisters and Steph, the world continues to twirl around them as normal. Life here is anything but normal. I hate shopping for groceries, I hate being alone, I hate the quiet, I hate the tv on listening to the debates about the election results, I hate turning it off because then I get the quiet again, I hate the heat, I hate walking everywhere I have to go or taking a taxi, I hate waiting for the 2 hours I get to spend with my hubby a day and I hate being so far from my chaotic 'normal'. The adventure is over - and I could only wish that. It goes on. This is not a vacation - this is not fun. This is my life and today it totally sucks. The only good part of it is that I am with Steve and even if I only get to see him 2 hours, it is good. I will tolerate his love of heights and bruises caused by them.

I am having a pity party today, but tomorrow will be another day. So with that, I am off to vacuum. IT makes noise - and not about election results and our stocks and 401K going to hell in a handbasket. I would like to continue to dream that retiring is still an option someday.

And So It Is...

Obama is elected the 44th President of the United States. I can only hope the ones who voted him in know more than those of us who voted against him. I am terrified of becoming a socialist country - but I am obviously in the minority. However, that having been said, it is not worth losing friendships over.

Congratulations to the winners. May the United States truly succeed under our new leader. I can only hope the choice in President of the USA is truly what you thought him to be.

May God bless us all - and America.

Back in Singapore

Finally made it back to Singapore - it is a very long trip. Our flying time alone was 23+ hours, not including layovers - thankfully we only had 2 short ones. I would not wish this on anyone, and I must say I have a whole new respect for what my husband has done to make a living for us for years and years. He has traveled to the ends of the earth on flights like this to pay our bills and put food in our tummies - not for recreation. I had no concept of what the traveling takes out of you and what it is like to go to 'exciting' places. The reality is, it is not exciting at all - it is exausting and he has told me that, but I simply did not understand. Now I do.

Thank you so much Steve, it reminds me why I love you so very much.

While we were in Louisiana, we went to a soccer game of Raelee's:

Raelee is a fast runner - as soon as she understands the whole concept of what is supposed to be happening, she will be a great contender:

They won!

We went to the Shrimp and Petroleum Festival which had been rescheduled from Labor Day Weekend:

We crammed so much into this two weeks, it will take us a month to catch up from the traveling. There is one problem - we don't have a month - we will be leaving for Korea soon, then back to Singapore and around mid-December, we will be making the states trip again to be home for Christmas.

Though we were busy this week, we had a wonderful time.

I may write a book in my old age titled "The Euvah Adventure". I am sure it will be filed in the non-fiction section - very few would believe it - only those that know it is true - weally weally, twooo... lol...