Help Dannette to Win!

So as part of our life in Singapore, we still try to do the "normal" stuff.  Part of Dannette's 13th bday was tickets to the Justin Bieber concert here in Singapore.  Please vote.  Voting will go until April 30th, the most likes wins the life size figure of him.


http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=o.159300480788770#!/photo.php?fbid=1694051475620&set=o.159300480788770&type=1&theater

Korea and Taiwan

Taipei, Taiwan

I am once again behind on the blog and feeling the need to catch up.  I honestly had not given the blog much thought as I have been enjoying my approximately 6 weeks without travel!  So upon coming back from my Korea/Taiwan trip, the last thing I wanted to do was blog about it.
The time has come though for my travel to again begin.  I will be leaving for a quick two day trip on Easter evening to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.  I am really looking forward to seeing Vietnam. After that it's the trip I am probably most excited about.....a week back in Chicago.  This was a surprise trip as I have been asked to take on a new project which involves bringing our new medical directors to Chicago to introduce them to Headquarters. This is a project currently scheduled twice per year.  It is a task that is handled by one of my colleagues from Germany but they decided to get a back-up person so  that she doesn't have to make the trip each time. After that it's a trip to Marlow, England just outside of London near Windsor.  A location that Dannette and I love.  We visited Windsor nearly 8 years ago now.  It will be one week after the Royal Wedding so I am excited to be part of the festivities.
Everything here is good.  Weather is nice as always, John is really getting his bike rides in and Dannette is looking forward to her last 6 weeks of school.  None of us can believe that summer is nearly here!
For those that don't know, we have made a critical decision to bring our beloved 4 year old German Shepherd to Singapore and he will be joining us on our return flight from Chicago at the end of July.  Luckily, we were able to investigate the quarantine options and found a way for him to only be quarantined for 10 days upon his arrival instead of the 30 days originally planned.
I digress though, this post was about  South Korea and Taiwan.  I really enjoyed this trip.  While it seemed a long 5 days to be away, both countries were among my favorite!  South Korea was such an interesting place to go as it's the furthest north I have gone thus far in Asia.  It was on the cool side compared to what I have become accustomed to as it was in the mid-50's, but it was the amazing views that got me. The city of Seoul is set in a way that you see great views of the ocean on your drive from the airport but have breathtaking views of some mountains in the distance. The city itself was similar to most Asian cities I have been too.  I will say it was clean and did not seem near as crowded and frantic as Shanghai or even Hong Kong. My work colleagues went out of their way to have me sample some delicious Korean food.  My favorite was a Korean BBQ dinner.  Along with sampling 10 mini appetizers including several types of kimchee (think pickled cabbage), the highlight of the meal was the Korean BBQ beef.  This is cooked on a charcoal grill set into the center of the table where the most deliciously marinated beef strips are grilled by your waitress in front of you.  I would really like to find a Korean BBQ here in Singapore to take John and the girls to as I think they would fall in love with the food.

Waiting for my bubble tea order at a street stall in Taiwan

Taiwan, was the polar opposite of South Korea. A short flight of just under two hours from Seoul, Taiwan is an island off the coast of China.  While it does have seasons, it was considerably warmer than Seoul as it was already well into their Spring season.  I loved Taiwan.  It was crowded and a bit hectic but in a way that I found very appealing.  I found myself wandering the small streets between my office and the hotel and enjoyed watching the people.  The streets were an interesting mix of people, motorbikes and tons of foot traffic.  I took some pictures on a trip to a bubble tea stand near the office over lunch.  They were only captured with my Blackberry but I think it did a good job of capturing the average street.

Shanghai, China

Looking down Nanjing Road

I spent this past week in Shanghai for three days. I have to admit this is the very least favorite of the places I have seen thus far.
I was in a great location at the end of Nanjing Road, a world famous street known for shopping. 
I found the area to be crowded and unfriendly.
I had realized shortly before leaving for my trip that it was going to be cold and did not have a winter coat.  When I arrived I took a brief trip out to the shops to look for a winter coat.  I quickly discovered that no English is almost non-existent and most of the signs are not readable.  I did wander into a department type store at one point only to be shooed out by the women working there. Apparently, foreigners were not welcome.
The city itself is dirty and the city is so crowded there is literally no green anywhere.  No trees, no grass.  Just skyscraper after skyscraper. 
To give you an idea of how overpopulated the city is, the lobby of my hotel was on the 38th floor!  My room was on the 54th floor! 
As usual though, it doesn't really matter what the city is like as I spent my time working.

Lotus Root Stuffed with Sticky Rice

Mandarin Fish

The office did take me out for a traditional Chinese meal one evening and it was an enjoyable experience.  I am not the biggest fan of Chinese food, but I can say that I tried some dishes that I have never had before.  My favorites were Mandarin Fish (served as a full fish with sweet and sour sauce, the cheeks were the most delicious part) and Lotus Root stuffed with sticky rice. The lotus root was interesting as it was slightly sweet but had a gummy texture as it is a root vegetable.
Off this week for a full week of travel with South Korea until Wednesday and then Taiwan on Thursday and Friday. 

Ode to the Tablespoon

It was bound to happen......one of the things we were told about moving to another country is that you will naturally go through a stage of hating where you are, the people there or things about the new culture. Its kind of like the stages of grief when someone dies, its the stages of adapting to expat life.
Like everyone else we have had our moments with lots of these types of things, I choose not to blog about them as I recognize this blog is out in the world for all to read and I don't want to spread negative thoughts.
In this case however, I have decided to break that rule and share my absolute HATRED for a common every day utensil. I admit it, I have developed an odd hatred for the common every day kitchen tablespoon!
Before my family all thinks I have gone off my rocker, let me explain.....
Turns out, Americans tend to have this incorrect view of most Asians eating with chopsticks. They don't. Chopsticks tend to be reserved for Japanese food only. Instead, most eat everything with a tablespoon!
This should have absolutely no impact on me as obviously it matters not what people do in their own homes.  In my case however, we have a helper who delights in laying out a tablespoon with every meal. I mean every meal.  In the morning with my waffles or pancakes or eggs, I find myself with a tablespoon!  Aside from the wasted effort of putting out a piece of silverware none of us uses, it wouldn't normally matter..........................
AHA, that is where you are wrong ! What I didn't mention is that while there is a tablespoon set out it is missing the knife!!!! So I am expected  to butter and cut my waffles or pancakes with what? A Spoon!
In all seriousness, I realize that life is nice if all I have to worry about in life is having to get up to grab a butter knife.  At the same time, I find myself harboring a deep resentment for large spoons.
Thus this post serves as fair notice to all family that I will likely run screaming from the room should I encounter a tablespoon at any meal I am sharing with any of you while visiting in July :)

South Africa

Palazzo Hotel - Johannesburg, South Africa

Returned from South Africa a week ago now.  It was a quick trip but nice to say that I have been to Africa.
In truth, I saw very little of Africa aside from the airport, hotel and office.  What I saw seemed nice enough but due to ever present safety concerns in Johannesburg I was not able to really do any sight seeing.

Montecasino adjacent to my hotel, this is indoors yet the sky looks real!

The hotel I stayed in was quite nice and had an entertainment complex adjacent to the hotel that had some great restaurants, shops and a casino. The hotel itself was beautiful and modeled after an Italian villa.  As its really the only thing I saw, I took several pictures of it.
I would love to go back and have the time to take in a safari which the locals said is very nice.
All in all, just another business trip...... in a very nice hotel : )

This is the rear of the hotel that faces the pool.  In the mornings I had breakfast out on the terrace you can see with the covered tables. Even dined with a peacock one morning.  Of course, the only morning I left my Blackberry in the room to charge!

View from the pool level

One of the many gorgeous gardens on the property

Covered walkway that allows you access to the Montecasino next door

Dubai

Burj Khalifa at night - tallest building in the world

Once again trying to catch up on the blog and find myself needing to write several entries.
 First, my trip to Dubai which was amazing!  I found myself mesmerized and absolutely in love with Dubai. I was there at a very interesting time as the crises in Egypt hit its peak while I was there! I became very aware of the events in Egypt as I was in Dubai to meet three of my Egyptian colleagues who all work in Saudi Arabia. They were understandably worried for their families and thus got many live on the ground updates as the days unfolded.

Water Show at the Base of the Burj Khalifa over dinner

Very top of the Burj Khalifa

Dubai itself though is simply stunning!  I think the best way to describe it is Las Vegas picked up and set down in the middle of the desert.  Everything is new and modern. They also seem try quite hard to mirror American hotels, buildings and shopping malls.  My first evening there I went to see the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa.  It is a very modern building that is so large you cannot even photograph the whole thing.  At its base is a very large shopping mall and outdoor plaza with restaurants. In the midst of this plaza, at the base of the Burj Khalifa, is a very large lagoon.  Every 30 minutes a water fountain show set to music runs.....sound like the Bellagio to anyone else?  I have to say though that this water show far outdoes the one in Vegas!  Its easily triple the size.  It was an enjoyable evening!

Ski Dubai

Ski Dubai

My second evening my work companions took me to the Mall of the Emirates.  This is easily the largest and most luxurious shopping mall I have ever been in.  The mall is interestingly sectioned in a way that as  you walk down the hall you move through "areas" kind of like one big department store.  Meaning, if you want to shop for shoes you walk to the shoe area of the mall and have three floors of every shoe shop contained in the mall. Same with childrens clothes, toy stores, beauty shops, department stores or home interiors.  The decor in the mall is again very similar to Vegas.  The ceiling is made to look like the outdoor sky and changes from day to night.  My favorite section of the mall is the entertainment area.  Here you could choose to see a movie in a 60 theatre movie complex, bowl in a 50 lane bowling alley, roller blade, skate board, ice skate or even ski!  Ski Dubai is an entirely indoor winter playground. Your admission ticket entitles you to use of sleds, skis, and ski lifts and even winter coats, snow pants and snow boots. 

Enjoying Sheesha at the Lebanese Restaurant

My Egyptian colleagues from the Saudi office

After exploring the mall we dined at a delicious Lebanese restaurant.  The food was delicious with options including lamb, couscous and turkish tea but the real attraction for the locals was their 40 different flavors of sheesha.  Sheesha is a regional past time that involves smoking flavored tobacco through a large decorative water pipe.  It was truly a different sight to walk into a restaurant and see everyone sitting with these giant sheesha pipes.  Luckily, the smell tends not to be smoky but more sweet as the flavored sheesha is typically mint, lemon, apple and other sweet scents.  Definitely not something I would want to endure while dining on a regular basis but it made for great people watching!
All in all I really enjoyed Dubai and would love to take everyone back to experience what Dubai has to offer. The architecture was so amazing it seemed futuristic. Enjoy a few photos of the amazing skyline.

Building currently under construction near the Marina, it appears to "twist" into the sky

I thought the juxtaposition of these modern metropolis skyscrapers against the relaxed atmosphere of the marina with its yachts, sailboats and palm trees was interesting

Children's Television in Singapore

I try on occassion to blog about the mundane stuff in Singapore that we take for granted now so that our families get a flavor of how we live.  I thought Children's television might interest some as Halie is now to that age where she likes to occassionally eye the tv.  We have a wide variety of children's television here ranging from the normal Nickelodeon and Disney channels to Halie's favorite "CBeebies", a BBC channel dedicated to children's programming.  Some of you might have heard of it over a decade ago as it is the channel that originally brought the Teletubbies to the screen in England.  Just like Dannette, Halie seems to LOVE the teletubbies.
She does however have some other shows that she enjoys, all of which are on CBeebies and that I had never heard of before coming here. Maybe I was just out of the kid show loop.  If you have heard of these shows before leave a comment :)

In the Night Garden - this is adorable with characters like Makka Pakka, Igle Piggle, Upsy Daisy, and the Tombliboos (starting from bottom left and then moving to back row) 

The Waybuloos - still haven't quite figured this show out but it involves crystals and these characters float.  I thought that was the whole concept but now I see there seems to be some yoga component to it as they have live children during a regular segment performing yoga poses.  Halie loves it, I think its too complicated to understand.

Five Minutes More - this is absolutely my fave.  Its a 5-7 minute show that airs between certain shows.  The concept is the animals provide "just one more story" before bed.  Each episode one of the animals gets to be the story teller and the story evolves from one of the squares you see on the bed quilt.

Everything's Rosie (with a little help from our friends) - I have only seen this a few times but I love watching Halie dance to the theme song!