Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary! Jim and I escaped to Bintan, Indonesia again for a quick celebratory weekend getaway. We left straight from work and headed to paradise.   Bintan is a quick 50 minute ferry ride away (although thanks to the man getting sick very loudly on the boat – it seemed more like hours).

Thankfully, we arrived with our stomachs intact and quickly grabbed some Bintang beer for the 15 minute car ride to the resort.  We decided to treat ourselves this time – and stayed at a more luxury hotel – the Banyan Tree. 

Gobble! Gobble!

Gobble Gobble!

Happy Turkey Day from Singapore!

I am so happy we went home last week because it makes celebrating our first holiday abroad slightly easier.  While we were still homesick, we did find some pumpkin ale at Level33 (view above) and take-away (called Tapow here) to celebrate Thanksgiving!

Chicago

Jim and I made it home for a quick visit last week to Chicago.   It had been 6 months since we have seen our family and friends, and it was great to spend time with them.

Personally, I enjoyed the cooler weather  - boots, jackets, gloves and hats!  It was great to get all bundled up for a week (but I am extremely happy to be wearing shorts and tshirt right now).

Shake It Off! Shake It Off!

After listening to the Taylor Swift CD on repeat for several months now, the day finally arrived -  The Taylor Swift Concert in Singapore!  This event was pretty much the highlight of my year (with the exception of that wedding).  

In June, I had convinced Jim to get tickets.  The concert sold out in 5 minutes, but we were able to snag two incredibly pricey tickets. The concert turned out to be a good investment.  Taylor was seriously non-stop.  She was constantly moving and shaking- and so was her stage!

Happy Halloween

My favorite thing about Halloween is carving pumpkins!  Unfortunately, pumpkins did not appear to make it on the "import" list, and the ones that did carried a $50 price tag. Therefore, we decided to adapt to our new home and carve watermelons! They were slightly more sticky, and the juice created quite a mess, but it worked surprisingly well! 

Haze, Haze Go Away...

It is hard to believe that fall has ended and winter has begun!  Especially since we do not have “American” seasons in Singapore.  Singapore seasons are – Hot, Very Hot, Hazy and Monsoon.  We have just exited hazy and entered monsoon.

Hazy season was particularly bad this year, as evidenced by the photo below.  Both of our offices actually handed out masks to wear outside because the haze was that bad!  There were days we could barely see the river from our balcony – which is like 30 feet.   You can read all about the haze online, but the short story is that it is caused by forest fires in Indonesia resulting from the burning of the plants that produce palm oil.  During the height of the haze, grocery stores stopped carrying products with palm oil from Indonesia in protest.

Formula One

Vroom Vroom! The Formula One Race was this past weekend and the city was abuzz in the days leading up to the race.  People travel from all over the world for the event, which is the only F1 race held at night through the streets of a city.

We opted for walk-around tickets for qualifying on Saturday night (mostly because it also included a Maroon 5 concert after qualifying was complete).  The best part of the race is that the cars are literally racing down the streets that we drive down on a regular basis.  As the sun went down, the skyscrapers provided a great backdrop for an amazing event.

Hong Kong

 Last week, the Singapore Government cancelled work to ensure Singaporeans were able to make it to the polls to vote (seriously, great idea - America take note).

Since Jim and I are obviously unable to vote, we took advantage of the surprise 3 day weekend and hopped a flight to Hong Kong.  The trip started out on a high note - with an incredible room upgrade and bottle of champagne.

Kyle & Meg in Asia - Part 2

After a few days exploring Cambodia, we returned to Singapore to continue showing Kyle and Meg our favorite spots.

We began with the monorail to Sentosa Island and explored Fort Siloso, where the Japanese surrendered to the British in World War II ending the conflict in Singapore.  The museum is very well done, allowing people to explore bunkers and watch-towers.

Kyle & Meg in Asia - Part 1

What a fabulous two weeks!  Jim and I just said goodbye to our visitors Kyle & Megan.  We had the best 10 days with them.  I really enjoyed playing tour guide and was surprised that my 2 page typed agenda did not scare them off ; ) 

After a minor airport hiccup, we welcomed Kyle & Megan to Singapore with some fresh coconuts at 2am.  Then, off to bed to get rested for a non-stop trip!  Within the first 48 hours, we showed them our favorites – river taxi, cloud and flower domes, Merlion (half lion/half mermaid), Lu Pa Sat, Level33, Botanic Gardens, Chinatown, Haji Lane and Korean BBQ.    

Happy Singapore 50

National Day was extra special this year as Singapore celebrated their 50th year of independence. The government even declared an extra holiday (yay - 4 day weekend).  As cheesy as this sounds, it was an honor to be here for it and watch the celebratory preparations and festivities. 

Bintan, Indonesia

Jim's 30th Birthday celebration continued into the 3-day holiday weekend.  Our plan was to celebrate the big 3-0 in Bali, but due to volcanic ash spewing in Bali - the airport closed - island problems ; ) 

We quickly regrouped and planned a fabulous weekend in Bintan, an Indonesian island that is a quick ferry ride from Singapore.  We boarded the ferry Thursday night and headed off for an all-inclusive weekend in paradise.   

Jim's 30th Birthday

On Friday, Jim picked a lovely Thai restaurant in Dempsey Hill (the fancy area) of Singapore named Jim Thompson.   We enjoyed a delicious meal outdoors with traditional Thai dancers performing around us.  The restaurant was amazing and we truly felt like we were back in Thailand.  Ironically, when we got the bill, we realized we could have flown to Thailand, eaten, and flown back.  Oh well - you only turn 30 once ; ) 

The Formans in Singapore

Our first visitors arrived in Singapore!  Ashley and Taylor arrived shortly after midnight.  I met them at the Changi Airport and quickly whisked them back to our apartment to crash after the 21 hour flight.

The next day - we went non-stop! Ashley and Taylor only had 2 1/2 days in Singapore so they pushed through the jetlag to maximize their time here!

USA! USA! USA!

Last 4th of July, Jim and I could not have imagined that we would spending this year's celebration in Singapore.  Because the 4th is one of our favorite holidays, it was the first time I felt slightly homesick.  However, the feeling was quick to pass as we were able to celebrate in true American fashion.

Phuket

We finally began our exploration of Southeast Asia with a weekend trip to Phuket, Thailand.  Luckily, Phuket is only an hour and half flight from Singapore and it is definitely a trip we hope to make again soon.  We stayed at the TwinPalms in an area called Surin Beach, a peaceful oasis away from other areas of the island known for their nightlife.

Back on the Little Red Dot

Jim and I are back on Singaporean soil after a trip home to the states.  I went home mid-April to celebrate the life of my cousin Philip and stayed for a few weeks. It was great to see family and friends!

We enjoyed some quality time with our nephews and niece.  I even got to visit the exotic city of Cleveland for 2 weeks! 

Hoppy Easter!

                 (do you have any idea how hard it is to find white pipe cleaners on an island?)

Hoppy Belated Easter!  Easter is the first holiday Jim and I celebrated in Singapore.   I definitely missed the competitive Easter Egg Hunt at our house with Laura and John (growing up stinks), but I planned an Easter Scavenger Hunt for Jim instead.    

AUSTRALIA

G'DAY MATE! 

 Jim and I went down under to explore Sydney, Australia.   I completely fell in love with the city and its people.  The best comparison I can give is that it is an unique cross between Boston and San Francisco, but with breathtakingly beautiful beaches.  Seriously - I was plotting ways to live there when we were leaving. 

St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Jim and I were pleasantly surprised to find out there was a St. Patrick's Day celebration here - complete with a mini parade, Irish music, and Irish Dancers!  Since we had never been to the main bar hosting the event, we walked over to check it out.  Turns out that we actually showed up a day before the big event, but still got to enjoy some Irish music and Guinness. 

New Neighborhood

Finally, Jim and I have a permanent residence.  We moved into our condo in the Robertson Quay area last weekend (the 28th of February).  Since then, we have been unpacking, making Ikea runs and setting up appointments to get things turned on.  Today we got internet so we can finally update the blog again!  We'll share some pics of our place once we have it fully organized.

GONG XI FA CAI!

Sorry for the hiatus - Jim and I have been getting settled.  After a week of administrative tasks - getting cell phones, opening bank accounts and finding an apartment, we spent the the last few days celebrating Chinese New Year.

The celebration started Wednesday night with a street festival and an amazing firework show at midnight.  We got a preview of the show when they practiced it on Tuesday night eating dinner in the Boat Quay area.

Playing Tourist

The past few days we have been getting settled and knocking off the touristy to-do list.  

Happy Hour in Singapore is very popular.  Drinks are typically discounted 1 for 1 (which is the Singapore way of saying buy 1 get 1 free).  We gave the Singapore Happy Hour a try on Friday.  I met him at his office and we went had a few drinks overlooking Sentosa Island. 

SuperBowl Monday

Yes - a large pizza is the size of a personal pan

Jim started work today!  When he got home, we ordered Pizza Hut, enjoyed a few Tiger beers, and watched the SuperBowl on Sling Box (thanks to Pete and Cara for taping it).  Because Jim was worried the Pizza Hut wasn't going to taste the same, he demanded we also get con queso dip and Tostitos.  It's not Casey's con queso, but it did the trick.

Hop-On, Hop Off.. Singapore Exploration

Ready for a ride under the nice shady canopy

We woke up and decided to be tourists for the day and do the hop-on hop-off bus.  We figured this would be a great way to get us acquainted with the island.

And.. we are OFF!

In Flight. Thanks Gina for the Bose Headphone, Sleep Masks and Ear Buds!!! 

ROGERS DO SINGAPORE

THE ROGERS DO SINGAPORE

Due to the 14 hour time difference,  Jim and I decided to keep this blog to not only help capture our experience here, but also to keep-in-touch with everyone back home!  It has been a whirlwind 2 months and we are excited to finally be here!

We will try to keep this blog updated - but will also be using instagram.  Find me at jennaleerogers to follow our Singapore adventure!