It’s a date!

Tommy and I got to “get away” for a 2 day, 1 night stay in a beautiful city with warm tropical climate and a never ending choice of places to go and things to see. Where??? Well, Singapore, of course!

Tori is here so the kids stayed home together while we were away but within reach. This is the first time we’ve ever left them all at home without supervision in the form of a grandma or a similar referee. They’re older and perfectly trustworthy and capable but it was still kind of strange. Surprisingly, we didn’t get a million phone calls. And they had a good time together and took pictures to prove it.

We walked around China Town and the Esplanade and Katong areas and acted like tourists. We soaked in a little bit of the Vesak Day celebrations, went to a great concert at the Esplanade, shopped a little, ate good food (Vietnamese, Japanese and Peranakan (Nonya)) and explored some new areas but mostly we just wandered wherever the wind blew and wherever we could get a parking spot. It was fairly uneventful and not super exciting. Honestly, for something to be calm and uneventful is a welcome thing in our lives after the jammed packed year+ of events and excitement we’ve had. Tommy and I haven’t been able to spend more than a few hours at a time alone together in well over a year so just being together for an extended period of time was good.

I didn’t get any pictures of us together. Tommy looked fine but either the heat combined with all the walking and/or something I ate made me swell up like a blow fish. Believe me, you wouldn’t have wanted to see it. It wasn’t picture worthy.

But other things were.

Looking for a sign?

I have an entire album on my facebook dedicated to ”Signs in Singapore”. Taking pictures of signs here started out of an unexpected need to find something to laugh about. At the beginning of our adventures here, everything was hot, challenging, hot (oh, I already said that), and challenging (oh, I already said that too) so finding something to snicker about or anything that brought a smile to my face was more than welcomed. Taking pictures of signs sort of became a past time. I never leave home without my camera and I very rarely go out without finding something that is picture worthy. Sometimes it’s a building, sometimes a gorgeous plant or flower and quite often, it’s a sign.

Now, before anyone starts thinking that I’m poking fun, you must realize that this is just part of my journey and these signs are publicly displayed therefore I see no reason why I shouldn’t be able to take pictures of them. Honestly, I think there are probably some pretty funny signs in the US as well but I just wasn’t paying attention. I’ll definitely do that next time we’re home.

This is the first sign I took a picture of in Singapore. It was in Holland Village and this sign changed every couple of months or so. The signs are now replaced with gov’t property signs so whoever was doing this has been stopped.

Did you smile? Did ya’, huh? Did ya’? 

I couldn’t possibly post all my sign photos here so I’ll just show you a few of the ones that made me smile the most. They all still make me smile everytime I look at them.

Genius!!

My friend, Lizanne, wonders if Pig Organ Soup makes Better People.

I think it says “Oh dear, I thought this was the Hokey Pokey!”

Soooo happy now that I can relax. I was very anxious about this actually.

ummm….. Biggest Boutique or Biggest Belly???

Ugh. Don’t be that guy!

Nothing like Chickfila. Promise.

So if these haven’t made you smile, then….

If I had never moved…

Warning: Rambling Ahead

If I had never moved…

I would probably still be living life as I was almost one year ago. Yes, it has almost been one year since we moved to Singapore.

I would be helping my friend pack up and get ready to move to a new house or at least keeping her kids so she could and fixing a meal or two. 

I would be having morning coffee with my mom and sister on occasion.

I would be seeing all the regulars at church on Sunday mornings and enjoying time with my small group family.

If I had never moved, I would be planning our summer vacation to Lake Catherine State Park.

If I had never moved, I wouldn’t miss baby showers or my sweet niece’s and nephew’s birthday parties and dance recitals and gifts and cards would be delivered on time and in person with a hug.

ON THE OTHER HAND…..

If I had never moved….

I would probably have never tasted an Ensamada, eaten authentic Momo or learned how to make Japanese Curry and Chicken Adobo.

I would never have known how strong my children could be in the face of new adventures and adversity.

I would never have seen how strong my husband is to carry himself and hold me up at times as well in challenging situations we’ve found ourselves in.

I would have never known how strong (or weak at times) I could be in the face of loneliness and hardships.

I would have never met some sweet new friends to meet for lunch, watch chic flicks and see at church.

If I had never moved…

I might not have been afforded the opportunity to see so much of the world God has created and experience it’s beauty and it’s tragedy.

I might not have come to see life so clearly as I do now, love so deeply as I do now and have the time and ability to think through what is truly important. May that never change no matter how many more moves might happen to be in our future.

No amount of internet research, blog reading or HR Department meetings can fully prepare you for a life outside of your home country. Based on personalities, characters traits and a million different possible situations and factors, everyone’s experience of living the “expat lifestyle” is vastly different. But somehow we make it. I suppose we do anyway. People do it all the time so the adventure must be a draw.  And then they get there and say “Holy Moving Box, Batman! What just happened???”  Just kidding. No I’m not.

Some days perspective is most illusive and other days it’s all too clear. Painfully clear at times. I long for the days of perspective. They don’t always show up. My perspective for today is that my husband and three children are all with me in the same country, heck, I’ll take the same continent!, and we have an abundance of blessings we certainly do not deserve.

If I had never moved….

I might not hold what mattered so close to my heart with an open hand and reach out to my Creator as often with the same open hand.

…and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ ” Acts 17 24-28

It’s not like God is surprised that we find ourselves in Singapore facing the occasional challenges (and joys) of this adventure. I think He kinda planned for us to be here. Therefore, I think He kinda plans on taking care of us. All we have to do is reach out for Him. He is not far.

Scoliosis Adventure, cont.

I realized today that I haven’t updated about our family’s scoliosis developments in a while. I’ve always been open with sharing our journey in hopes that others walking this same road can find hope and encouragement as they read ours.

Here is the last post on this topic if you’d like to catch up on this “little” journey of ours.

Tori is doing great. No issues. We’re pretty sure she’s done with all of this. *insert sigh of relief*

One of the main reasons we went back to Texas in March was to check on the status of Jakeb’s scoliosis. The xrays came back showing no changes. This is fabulous news as he has just a small bit left to close on his growth plate so his curves are not expected to change any further. We’ll go back again this summer but then we should be on annual check ups rather than 6 months. The best part of all is that his curves are not bad enough to require surgery and he should have no issues to deal with long term. Here is Jakeb’s latest xray pic.

The curves are compensatory and are both around 34 degrees. If you look at his shoulders and hips, you can see that they are just about even with each other and this is really good. Surgery is not considered until the curves are upwards of 50 degrees. If someone has to have scoliosis, this is the way to do it. The Dr. has always said that Jakeb’s running has been a help. Keeping the muscles strong around his spine could have very well been the key.

We’ll continue to watch Anna but so far so good with her. If it’s going to show up in her it should rear its ugly head in the next year or so. Before we moved from Texas, we were driving through Katy (Houston area) and they were just beginning to build a Texas Childrens Hospital. Anna saw it and matter of factly stated that when she gets scoliosis that’s where she wants to have her surgery. It’s been a part of her life as long as she can remember.

Thanks to all who have prayed us through this and shared in our pain and tears and also our joys. In the grand scheme of things we know we are so blessed that this is our “cross to bear” so to speak when so many other people suffer from so much worse. But it has still been a journey with no shortage of unpleasant, painful and tearful times. Let’s hope and pray this is almost over. I guess we’ll have to watch for it again when our kids start having kids but this would be one genetic cycle we would really love to leave behind.

What A Day!

Today, May 19th, which happens to be a Wednesday in Singapore, is a most wonderful day and a day worth celebrating for sure.

For instance:

May 19 is the 139th day of the year (140th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 226 days remaining until the end of the year.

1499 – Catherine of Aragon, is married by proxy to Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales. Catherine is 13 and Arthur is 12.

1536 – Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII of England, is beheaded for adultery, treason, and (other unmentionables since this is a family friendly blog).

1802 – Napoleon Bonaparte founds the Légion d’Honneur.

1897 – Oscar Wilde is released from Reading Gaol.

1962 – A birthday salute to U.S. President John F. Kennedy takes place at Madison Square Garden, New York City. The highlight is Marilyn Monroe’s rendition of Happy Birthday.

2009 – Sri Lanka announces victory in its 27 year war against the terrorist organisation, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

It also happens to be the day that these people were born:

1593 – Jacob Jordaens, Flemish painter (d. 1678)
1795 – Johns Hopkins, American philanthropist (d. 1873)
1881 – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, 1st President of Turkey (d. 1938)
1890 – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese leader (d. 1969)
1908 – Merriam Modell, American author (d. 1994)
1925 – Pol Pot, Cambodian dictator (d. 1998)
1941 – Bobby Burgess, dancer, singer and original Mouseketeer
1945 – Pete Townshend, English musician (The Who)
1967 – Tommy Stunz, American Engineer, teacher of the Bible, incredible fix-it man, reader of books, accomplished athlete and best father and husband on earth
1976 – Kevin Garnett, American basketball player

WHAT???? Did you see that?

Tommy Stunz was born on this day????

Wow!!

This definitely makes it a day worth celebrating!!

For more of these interesting ‘date in history’ facts, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_19

May 19th was indeed a good day 43 years ago. A day that the world became a better place when my husband (to be) breathed his first breath in a small town hospital in Texas.

So, on this 139th day of 2010; on the day that Oscar Wilde was released from whatever that was he was released from and Marilyn Monroe sang Happy Birthday to John F. Kennedy; on the day that a Flemish painter and the original Mousketeer were born…

Tommy, we wish you a Happy Birthday. I for one, and I’m sure MANY others, are happy you were born and the world is a better place because you are in it.

I love you, babe. Happy Birthday!!

P.S. We do have a small, family “party” planned for you but it’s for tomorrow since your daughter is coming in tonight from Texas to personally wish you a Happy Birthday. So for tonight, let’s just imagine that we’re getting together with some of our favorite people and having fun, shall we? And that the girls are winning…..

1938 – 2010 Where Past Meets Present

My mom recently sent me a letter that was written (typed) by my paternal Grandfather to my Grandmother in 1938. He was in the US Navy and stopped over in the Singapore Malay Straights and it just so happens that he did a little shopping in Singapore. Go figure…

This is my Grandfather holding my Dad.

I never really knew my Grandfather but I find it incredibly fascinating to picture him bargaining with the local vendors, probably along the Singapore River or over in the Arab Quarters area at that time, for camphor boxes, silk cloth and “pajama’s” much the same way I do now only in China Town or on Arab St.. They probably weren’t pj’s but he thought of them that way. I did know my Grandmother and I can imagine her face when she saw the fabrics and the beautiful things he brought to her. She loved nice things so I’m sure she did not care about the money at all. She was a dancer and I can imagine the dress she might have had made with the beautiful white Shanghai silk. I can imagine the sweet reunion when he got off the ship.  My Grandmother and Grandfather divorced in 1957 but it’s obvious from family stories and especially from this letter, that they did love each other.

So many years ago. A whole different world. But still ‘same same but different’, eh?

A glimpse into the past…..

February 16, 1938
Singapore Malay STS,

 Dearest Elsie,

            Well, I still haven’t received any mail from you up until this time but I know it is impossible to get any yet. I have written lots of letters to you sweetheart but I don’t mind at all. I know you will get them sooner or later, and just as long as I keep writing and letting you know how I am you will feel lots better and will know that I still love you and am thinking bout you.

            Sweetheart, I went ashore yesterday and I bought some of the most wonderful bargains I have ever seen in my life. The first thing I brought was a pajama suit for you. When I asked the price of the suit the salesman said twenty-five dollars. He said it was pure shanghai satin, and it was three pieces. A jacket of the most beautiful cloth and the heaviest cloth I ever saw, then there was a little short coat to go over the jacket, and last of all there was the pajama shorts or rather the pants to go with them, and I’m telling you sweetheart they are the most beautiful things I have ever seen and the heaviest. Just guess what I paid for them. Four dollars and fifty cents. Think of it four dollars and fifty cents of their money. The lowest he would come down was from ten dollars to seven and he finally came down to five. And I forgot to tell you that it took me about four hours to finally bargain him down that much. Walter tried to find something like them for Gertrude but he will never find anything like that. Gertrude is going to wish she had a set like yours when she sees what you have. I really never expected him to come down to as much as fifteen dollars because of the quality and the work on them. I was just bargaining with him because that is the way you buy out here. You ask the price first of all and if they say thirty dollars you turn around and start to walk out and say ten dollars and that is my bet price. They grab you by the arm and pull you back in the store because it isn’t very often that American Sailors come here and they know it will be long time before they will be able to get rid of such things. The natives never have the money to buy them because they are too high priced. They don’t want you to walk out. When they say alright (I give you for ten dollar Mex) you say (naw not worth more than five dollar Mex) and start to walk out again. This goes on until they sell to you, and it is usually at your own price. I bought eight yards of pure satin (white) satin you know the evening gown type for twenty-five cents a yard. Just think of it, sweetheart. You get an evening gown Pattern and I have the material for one of the finest evening gowns you ever had on. I paid two dollars mex (their money) for the satin. That would be about 15 cents of our money per yard. Then I have the four yards of pure silk I bought the other day for you and the other things I mentioned in a previous letter. I didn’t by anything for myself but a bath robe for two dollars and two boxes of silk sox. I got eight pair of silk sox the regular fifty cent sox in the United States for one dollar their money. Just twelve and a half cents a pair and you can’t buy good cotton sox in the US for that price, so I bought two boxes. I will have plenty of sox when I get out of the navy for a long time. You understand honey, that I didn’t have very much money to spend but I bought everything I could while I am here because I’ll never get another chance to get you so many things at such a reduced price. Honey you are really going to be dressed up with an evening gown, if you can get a pattern to make one from. I will be glad to get the other things you will need to finish making it. It is pure white and so pretty I don’t like to handle it. Walter bought some also. He said he couldn’t let me buy something he didn’t get for Gertrude because she would be mad at him. He tried all day yesterday to get a pajama suit like yours but he will never find one like it., not for 4.50 and the same quality I know. Just think a suit like in the United States would cost at least twenty-five dollars. I know because it would cost that much for the material without the work done on it.

                        Well, honey I just about spent all the money I had put away but I know when I show it all to you you will be satisfied. You should trust me to do the best things for you anyhow, because that is what I did. I had rather bargain with fellows than eat, I get more kick out of doing that than actually buying from them.

                        These chests (camphor wood) Walter and I bought for you and Gertrude are sure going to be nice honey. They are large and roomy, plenty large for you to put all your handkerchiefs and a good many other things also. They are about a foot and a half long and over a foot high and wide. And they sure do smell good. Hand carved and will go good with any kind of furniture. They are something like the color of our radio sweetheart. A real dark rich brown color. Well honey this is late in the afternoon and I have the mid watch tonight from one o’clock until seven thirty in the morning and I will have a better chance to write to you then so I am going to close this letter sweetheart and write another one to you tonight. My darling I miss you and love you so much that it really hurts to be away from you so long. When I get back to the United States I will just have six months to do Sweetheart in this Navy and then we will start our life together in ernest won’t we Honey. I can hardly wait until that time. I hope you look forward for it as much as I do. There is nothing on earth will ever get me back in here as long as I love you sweetheart. Well I will write to again in a few hours so cheerio until then my darling.

                                                                        Lots and lots of Love,
                                                                                                Howard

This is a photo of one of the boxes he brought back.

Blah, Blah, Blah

So here’s what’s happening in the Stunz Family 5.

Today is the beginning of the last three weeks of school. Hallelujah!!! I’m so ready for this year to be over. Not sure why but it’s been sort of challenging in areas and I’m just really reading to not have to fix breakfast at 6am and pack lunches for a while. I know, I know… I’ll miss it one day.

Tomorrow (Texas time), Tori, the one whose presence makes us the Stunz Family 5 rather than the Stunz Family 4, joyfully (kind of) hops a plan for a 30 or so hour plane ride to Singapore. She gets here Wednesday night (Singapore time). I know that’s too confusing to try to explain. Just go with it, we do. Anyway, she leaves her boyfriend, Jacob, behind this time around so that will not be fun at all. BUT she gets to come see us!!! Woohoooo! When Tori started dating Jacob, the first two thing I asked her were: Is he taller than you? and Does he have a passport? One out of two ain’t bad. Jacob, you simply must get that passport thing taken care of. It’s still really strange that we are leading the life of world travellers.

We think Anna has pink eye. yuck… This means a dr. appt so I type this blog post while I wait for them to open. She has made pretty good friends with a girl from Taiwan, Maggie. She lives in our complex and they seem to be together all the time. Maggie has gone to church with us many times now and shared meals with us. Her mom brought us a YUMMY chocolate cake last night to thank us. I told her it is really our pleasure to have her with us anytime. They get along really well.

We hosted a Newcomer’s Gathering for our church, Redemption Hill, last night. I love having people over. Our church is really busting out the seams. We (the church leaders) found a new place to move to, which is super difficult in Singapore, and thought we had it in the bag but have been confronted with some red tape. So now we pray that this all gets resolved quickly and we can meet there as there just aren’t any other options at this point. The place we are currently meeting has said we can stay there until the end of June. All of this sounds so familair. It’s so similar to what we experienced in our home church in Texas a few years back.

Jakeb is going to prom this Saturday with a group of friends. Don’t expect to see any girl/guy pics on the staircase or anything. We were able to get a tux that we had already altered to fit him perfectly and that only cost us $14 SGD and $16 SGD to have it cleaned. We bought him a dress shirt and a Thai silk tie (I think that’s funny -Thai silk tie…) and dress shoes at Mustafa. And we accomplished this all in one day. Pretty darn amazing in Singapore. The prom is at Sentosa so it will cost us more for transportation to get him out there and home than we spent on the clothes. Ok, maybe that’s a little exagerated but it will not be cheap. We were super happy to not have to buy him a suit, though. But we probably could have found that at Mustafa too.

Chasing a rabbit. Mustafa…  that day at Mustafa, we bought Jakeb’s dress shirt, tie and shoes. We also bought a luggage scale and a sewing kit. We bought Anna a pair of shoes for fun and modeling clay for a school project and 2 of Jakeb’s favorite writing pens. Oh, and turkey bacon. That place has everything. Literally.

Tommy’s birthday is this week. He’ll be 40 something. 43 I think. We’re the same age but I never can remember how old we are. He’s 6 months older than me, though. So for a little while I get to be younger than him. I think when we get this old we’re just grateful for another one and it doesn’t really matter which one it is. We’re doing something special for him as a whole family on Thursday so I’ll have to write about that later. Unless it flops and in that case you won’t hear a word about it.

Anna has a swim gala at school on Friday. For those Texans out there, a swim gala is a fancy way of saying a ‘swim meet that’s just for fun’. She will be wearing her swim costume. She will be racing in several different strokes but I think her main one is free style. She’s really pretty darn good.

I am home a lot this week nesting, so to speak. I’m trying to finish up several little projects before Tori gets here so I don’t have to mess with them then. I’m also beginning to go through and plan Anna’s homeschool curriculum for next year. It’s exciting and overwhelming. We ate out alot last week while Tommy’s brother was here. It was so great to see him and spend time with him! But we’re kind of over eating out for a week or so. I think I’ll cook at home this week. Seems like I haven’t done that in a long time. I’ve got some new dishes I’d like to try. If they are gross, then we always have Holland Village Hawker Center or Curry Gardenn nearby.

We miss Texas. We miss family and friends. I talked to my mom and dad on Skype the other day and my dad was telling me how he is keeping squirrels from eating the pears off of my mom’s pear tree (don’t ask). Suffice it to say that no one had better mess with my mom’s pears! I laughed and then after we hung up I cried.  This is a very adventurous life we are living and we are grateful but we’re really missing out on being home as well. My good friend is buying a house and I’d love to be there to help them move and share in their joy. Another good friend’s dad is in the hospital and I’d love to be just around the corner if she needed me. I said last night to a lady from church that “I can’t see us making our life here but we are doing better at living here.” Some things are still very much of a challenge but we have been here long enough now to make some adjustments that work better for us and things just don’t seem as difficult as they once did – at least not on a daily basis.

The summer in Singapore has begun. So many people migrate home for the summer. We’re actually going back to Texas in July but it will be pretty quiet around here in June. No local tours, not many coffee dates with friends. Luckily we have a good stock of movies and I’ll have Anna by my side.

Oh! Jakeb and Tommy are getting ready to head to Christchurch, New Zealand for their marathon. Jakeb’s first! Training has gone really well. I’m so impressed and perplexed at the level of enjoyment they get from this but they love it. And they’re good at it. They just finished their last long run  of 20 miles and now they taper. They leave on June 3rd and the marathon is on the 6th, I believe. Then Jakeb goes to Kenya a couple of week after and on to Texas from there. He’s gone all summer. So while he is in Kenya and Texas, Tori will be studying in Beijing for 5 weeks.  Tommy, Anna and I will travel to Beijing for one week while Tori is there. We’ll definitely be all over the place this summer.

Today started out rainy but the sun is beaming now and it’s H.O.T.  I have my aircon on and Tori’ fav’s playlist playing on my ipod. Lemon grass oil is burning in a diffuser and it’s such a relaxing smell. I’m eating Velveeta/Rotel dip and chips for lunch. I figure I can afford to use some of our velveeta stock since we’ll be home this summer. Workers are here today fixing some leaks because every time it rains water it getting in in several places and making some annoying and ugly messes.

So how’s life for you?

The Chicken Man

Everyone should have a Chicken Man!  Unless you’re a vegetarian, of course.

When I was a kid and we lived in Brazil, we had a Chicken Lady. This lady would bring fresh chicken to our doorstep and mom would buy what we needed for a few days. I remember her vivivdly. Her name was Dona Tai (sp) and she probably made a pretty penny selling to all the “rich Americans”.  We found out later that she was actually very wealthy herself and my family was invited to her beautiful house out in the country. She sold chickens to us “rich Americans” because she wanted to get to know us. I thought that was cool. My parents became good friends with her and her husband.

So when we moved to Singapore, some new friends at church invited us to dinner and she shared with me the contact info for The Chicken Man. Once we moved into our own place, I called him and placed my first order for delivery to my door. Delivery is a huge help in Singapore. The minimum order is $50 SGD and at that time included about 15 boneless, skinless butterfly chicken breasts. I think his prices have gone up just a little but it’s not that noticeable.  Later I ordered some whole chickens and leg quarters for a really good price. My latest order at the time of this post was 10 chicken breasts and 10 leg quarters (whole legs)  for $43 SGD and it’s alot of meat. A whole chicken is about $8 SGD. He’ll bring you all the “yucky stuff” or he’ll just bring the chicken. I just get the chicken. He laughed at me when I ordered the whole chickens and asked him to take all the “yucky stuff” out of the middle. American chicken.

I was nervous when I first called but was relieved to find out he spoke English really well. Then when they delivered, he was so kind and I have really enjoyed getting to know him and his wife. Now, when I order, I text him and I have fresh chicken at my door the next day between 12-1pm.

He tells me the chickens are fresh from Malaysia each day and that he cuts them up and delivers fresh between 12-1pm. He will not deliver later because they won’t be fresh and you must order one day in advance so they will be fresh. The nice thing about getting fresh meat is that most meat you buy in the stores here has already been frozen during import and thawed to sell. You either have to cook it and refreeze it or eat it within 3 days. Getting fresh chicken allows me to put it in my freezer and have it for when I need it.

They can get free range chicken but only offer the whole chicken. It is more expensive for less chicken but they can get it.

I am so thankful for the Chicken Man and his wife. They are really sweet people and I hope to get to know them better over the next couple of years. We will miss a lot about Singapore when we go but this chicken will be high up on our list of things we miss most.

If you live in Singapore and you eat chicken, give him a call and try it out. I think you’ll be happy with the results.

Mr. Wee and Lorna
+65 9139 2189

P.S. They are usually closed on Mondays and for a couple of weeks during Chinese New Year.

Places – QB Foods

Update: Store show room is now closed to public. You can order online for delivery if over $200 or arrange to pick it up at the warehouse. Read here.

There are two places in Singapore that we get meat from that have saved our budget. Ben Foods and QB Foods. (I noticed the QB website is updated (a little) and appears that you can order online. This is something I haven’t done. I’m not sure if the prices are different than in the store or not.)

Unlike Ben Foods, QB is open to the public all week. There was a “scare” recently in which the gov’t was going to make them move their retail location but so far they’re still going in the same location. Which is good because I’m sure it keeps their prices lower. It’s a small place but as is everything in Singapore, it’s packed with meats, cheeses, and other items that are cheaper than what you find in the main chain grocery stores. QB is a wholesaler but they have this small corner of their warehouse pictured below for people like me who don’t want to pay high dollar for the same thing they can get here for cheaper.

I have very few pictures because there’s a sign as you enter that says “no pictures”. When there’s no sign, I go with my gut and sometimes operate under the “better to ask forgiveness than permission” concept but I do obey the signs in Singapore. Obeying the rules in Singapore is highly recommended.

Getting to QB: I normally take a taxi and usually share the ride with a friend to help with the cost. It would be okay to bus there while you’re empty handed but you’ll most likely want to taxi back home unless you have a car. Parking is limited, though.

If you have gone or when you go for the first time, let me know how you liked it and what you bought. I might have missed something good that I need to get next time.

Finishing Well

When we go to bed tonight in Singapore, our daughter, Tori, will be about to start her last day of her first year at the University of North Texas. It’s hard to believe but it’s true and we are all relieved for her that it’s finished. Do you know anyone who really enjoyed/enjoys college? Me either. I take that back, there are some fun times but they’re usually not associated with the learning part.

She has already moved out of her dorm, HALLELUJAH!!, (she was not a big fan of dorm life this year) and is bunking at my sister’s house until next week when she hops a short 30 hour plane ride over here to sit on our couch, cuddle with her mom and watch Pride & Prejudice.

She has one more exam to ace and then she is finito!! We ordered her a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and had it delivered to her dorm mid week to hopefully get her over the hump. I just knew that chocolate would cure all forms of stress and anxiety brought on by finals and to do lists. Candy Haven has been an amazing discovery. We ordered her a birthday cake from there and the staff there is just super nice and incredibly accomodating. It’s nice to know we can do something little when we’re not there. They were supposed to put two chocolate covered strawberries on top of this cake. I’m not sure what happened with those but I’m not complaining. She got the cake and it served it’s purpose. Looks don’t matter too much when the chocolate tastes good!

Tori has finished well and we could not be more proud of her. She really is a dream child especially when it comes to having a college kid. She hates spending money, even ours. She goes to all of her classes. I think….  She studies hard and makes good grades. She structures her time well and thinks things through to avoids potentially bad or dangerous situations. She calls her mom almost every day and google chats with her dad often and not just when she needs money. She sends sweet emails to her little sister and harrasses her teenage brother on facebook. She’s an amazing girl, daughter, human being.

Tori, you have finished well! Now get your butt over here and hug your mother.

2 Timothy 4:7
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

 

P.S.  A million thanks to my sister, Edie, for helping her move out, giving her a home and a family when hers is so far away and sending me photos. I love you so much and am forever in your debt. I mean that. I would eat durian for you if you really needed me to. Please don’t need me to……