You Can Stand Under My Umbrella

Derek sent me on a mission the other day, to find him a big and sturdy umbrella to weather the rain storms in Singapore. Apparently the cheapo and compact umbrellas that you buy at the Buona Vista MRT didn't cut it. One gust of wind and that was the end of that umbrella. On a lunch mission,  I stood there awhile admiring the choices:

1. The Sword Umbrella
2. The Gun Umbrella
3. Your good plain, brown, umbrella

Since Derek does the daycare drop-offs and pick-ups, I figured #3 would be the best option. So I left with the boring umbrella.

WARNING ALERT: Mischief to Property

This popped up in my inbox the other day, and made me smile. After all, an act of vandalism back in 1993 put modern Singapore "on the map" for many Americans. This e-mail makes no mention of a mandatory butt-whooping, but I'm pretty sure martial artists are on hand, with canes, to mete out punishment...

WARNING ALERT: Mischief to Property

1. There has been a rise in the number of cases of mischief on NUS premises and property. The act of graffiti writing and drawings in toilet cubicles, staircases and on study benches had been reported.

2. We would like to take this opportunity to caution and remind the NUS community on the severity of committing such acts of mischief, which apart from being unsightly, is also disruptive and causes inconvenience to other users.

3. According to the Law, any person who commits any act of mischief shall be liable for a conviction with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 1 year, or with fine or with both.

4. We advise all staff and students to be alert and report anyone behaving suspiciously or committing such acts to Campus Security at 6874-XXXX, or the police at 999. OCS will take action against anyone found committing the offence.

Parent-Teacher Conference

Yesterday I attended our first "parent-teacher" conference. It was actually a cookie-decorating event for parents at Dewi's daycare, but they told us that it was also an opportunity to talk to the teachers, get feedback on how your kids were doing, etc. etc. So I called it a "parent-teacher conference". Since Derek usually does the pick-up and drop-off at the daycare, I really looked forward to seeing Dewi in her new element. When I arrived there, she was sitting in her high chair eating pancakes with one or two other kids. She was so happy and giddy and started feeding me pancakes right away.

When it came to the cookie-decorating, while all the other kids sweetly sat there and let their parents decorate their cookies, Wi wi was flipping over the paper plate, grabbing cookies and chomping them left and right, smearing the sugared frosting all over her face, stuffing marshmallows in her mouth, and feeding me fruit loops. It was pretty funny. I had fun observing her in the soft-play area, as she butted heads with another girl like they were bulls, and as she let a boy kiss her over and over again on the forehead (this is Singapore, after all- gotta be bashful and very careful with your choice of PDA!). Dewi's teachers shared that for the first few days she sat back and observed her surroundings, not really interacting much with the other kids. After that, she happily played with the others and freely creeped around the room. She's also started to go back to her 2 naps a day instead of 1, and even on the days she only naps once, she is enjoying herself and not wanting to miss a minute of fun. In fact, I was told that she sometimes shouts loudly so that another kid will wake up and play with her. Interestingly enough, Derek shared with me last week that Dewi actually cried when she had to leave the daycare and not the other way around (which has only happened once since we started).

Dewi definitely looks happy in her new surroundings, and we're really happy that we chose to send her to this particular daycare. The teachers are all so sweet and patient. She has both Mandarin and English-speakigng teachers. The place is super clean and comfortable. She loves the other kids in her class, and they also have a pretty awesome menu of food that they prepare and feed their children. I'm pretty sure that in a D.C. daycare she wouldn't get to eat chicken porridge and kway tiao. In a few months, we hope to move off campus and into a nearby condo. Our plan is to still keep Dewi at this daycare, but we may have to see how things go. We're really getting settled here and are loving our new home.

Anthony Bourdain's Thoughts on Singapore

Since I now have some time to read on the MRT to and from work, I have just finished Anthony Bourdain's "The Nasty Bits". I normally am not a short story fan, but this one was a great read. The book is filled with Anthony's culinary adventures around the world. It is pretty damn funny and makes you want to eat, travel, eat, and travel. Some great excerpts:

1. On the indoor and outdoor weather in Singapore (so true):
"My first time in Singapore, I hated it. The heat punched me in the chest every time I stepped outside,a  thick, penetrating humidity made worse by relentless broiling sun. Three-shower-a-day, change-your-clothes-at-noon kind of heat; whenever I ducked inside for a beer, the bars were refrigerated, with locals happily sipping Tiger beers in their T-shirts in the bone chilling, meat locker cold."

2. On food courts:
"This is what a food court should be, I thought, as I waddled toward the door. Imagine if there was a food court near you, at the mall, for instance, where instead of the soul-destroying mediocrity and sameness of American fast food, a wide spectrum of ethnically diverse lone proprietors- all of whom had been perfecting their craft for decades- offered up their very best. Imagine independently owned and operated businesses next door to each other, each serving one specialty as far from and different from the adjacent offering as each individual culture. Imagine- if fast food could be good food."

3. On food ratings:
"Eateries are graded not with stars or number, but by rice bowls signifying 'good', 'very good', 'excellent'- and the Singlish 'Don't try, regret ah!' and the ultimate accolade, 'Die, die must try!'.

Baby Got Back?

Since my office is in a somewhat industrial and isolating part of town, we have lunch shuttles that take us to nearby food centres (as you can see, my spelling is already turning British/English- this is confusing for my 7th grade spelling bee champion self). Sometimes the lunch shuttles go to a mall, and sometimes they go to a good ol' hawker centre where you can buy cheap local food and run quick errands in the nearby stores. The other day, while browsing through a food centre complex, one of my coworkers pointed out a display of padded underwear. I had never heard or seen this phenomenon before, but there was quite a selection and it was pretty affordable. I have no idea why anyone would want to purchase these, but there it is, for those who strive to have JLo butts.

Botak Jones

Since we've arrived in Singapore, I've been craving for a big, fat, juicy burger. Of course the best burger in the world is an Inn N Out Burger, followed by Five Guys, and then other decent restaurant burgers available at many locales. Today, on a really hot day, after a long outing to the bank, we searched for Botak Jones (translation: Baldy Jones) a burger joint recommended by a friend of mine from the mom's group. I ordered a Thai Chili Burger with Spicy Fries. It was AMAZING. Definitely worth the walk in the heat and the crying baby. And a decent grade patty too. Best of all, this place is hidden in the middle of a hawker center at the center of an HDB complex. Which means it was definitely affordable. Next time I am ordering their chili fries.

Dewi's First Day of School...errrr Daycare

Here is a pic from Dewi's first day of daycare. She's been there for almost a week now, and Derek picked her up today to see her smiling, clapping, and having a ball with the other kids.