Our 450 Sq. Ft. Home

Well, as most of you know, Clark and I have been living in a Hotel for a month and we have loved it...maid service, pool, complimentary breakfast. The day came where it was time to look for a real place to live :( We got an agent and went to a condo building (it was literally the first condo place built in Singapore...no joke) that was about 15 minutes from the hotel. I was nervous because I didn't know what to expect...and I was quite surprised when I saw the condo...it was 45o freaking square feet! Condos in Singapore go very fast and we knew this place wouldn't last a day even though it was so small. The location of the condo is great because it is 10 minutes away from Clark's work. We got the place for a steal but there is much work that needs to be done. Let me tell you about our place...new bathroom but the toilet is right next to the shower (i mean right next to it...you could wet your feet if someone just took a shower)...one bedroom with a new t.v (we will need to get cable)...new full or queen bed( i couldn't tell)...small closet...computer table...small fridge and microwave... stainless sink that you would see in an outside barn...small washer...no oven (you use an electric stove top cooker)...no dryer (you hang your clothes out the window on a bamboo stick (we are NOT because it looks GHETTO), instead we are hanging them on a rod in the house from the ceiling (it gets hot so the clothes dry quick)...tile floor ...and a nice table with 2 chairs...So basically Clark promised me that if we took this place then we would have money for other things such as eating out and trips. Looks like I get to visit Ikea!!! I would show pictures but I think I might wait until it looks more homeyyyy. Move in date: July 12...wish us luck :)

My new TOY

Clark and I have been talking about purchasing a DSLR camera for awhile and yesterday he surprised me and came home after work with one! It is my new toy and I LOVE it! Lately I have been wondering what the heck I want to do for a career and I came to the conclusion that I love taking pictures, I think I take decent pictures, and I would never get bored taking pictures! I love capturing moments! Maybe just maybe I could be a photographer. Maybe I will look for an internship somewhere here in Singapore instead of getting an office job.... Today I went out and took pictures while Clark went and played flag football. I had so much fun getting used to my new camera! Hope you like some of the pictures I took!

The boy is my favorite...

Fort Canning Park

Today I decided I would be adventurous and go out on my own to see some sights in Singapore! Since we are in the city, there are tons of parks, shopping malls, places to eat...etc and I should take advantage of these places before Clark and I have to move out in the boonies some where!
Fort Canning Park is the most historic part of Singapore. It includes The Keramat Iskandar Syah (a burial ground), Archaeological Excavation Site, the Reservior, the Battle Box, the Spice Garden, and the Raffles House. I walked all around the park, sweating every second, until I finished! I didn't think Clark would like something like this so I decided it would be better to go while he was at work! Here is some historic info. , if you would like to know more about the Fort...if not, skip the reading and enjoy the pictures!

Around 1860, the colonial gov't turned the hill into a fort bearing the name of Viscount Charles John Canning. From that time until the 1970's, Fort Canning was used as a military base- first by the British, then by the Japanese during the Second World War, and lastly by the Republic's armed forces.

The Fort Gate, the adjoining wall and the Sally Port are all that remain of the fortress which occupied this hill from 1861 to 1926 when it was demolished to make way for the reservoir. The fort had 2 purposes: to protect Singapore from attack by sea, and to give Singapore's European population a refuge in case of local disturbances. A cannon was fired 3 times a day (at 5 a.m., 1 p.m. and 9 p.m.) in colonial times to announce the hour. Be sure to look behind the Fort Gate's massive wooden door for the narrow stairway leading to the roof.

The Spice Garden is the site of Raffles' original experimental and botanical garden, the brainchild of Nathaniel Wallich, a Dane who became superintendent of the Royal Gardens at Calcutta in 1815. He came to Singapore in 1882 and wrote to Raffles to recommend that a botanical and experimental garden be established.

The Battle Box is located some 9 metres underground, in one of the bunkers in Fort Canning Park. It was the largest military operations complex in Singapore and was part of the Malaya Command Headquarters during World War II. The facility is now managed by The Legends Fort Canning Park.

The Keramat Iskandar Syah, meaning "a sacred place" in Malay, a Keramat is the traditional burial ground of a revered leader. It is uncertain who was buried here, though some people believe this to be the resting place of Iskandar Syah, a ruler of Temasek. A 14th century-styled Malay roof called a "pendopo", supported by twenty wooden pillars carved in a fighting cock motif of Javanese origin, shelters this structure.

Singapore Zoo!

Yesterday I was able to go the Singapore Zoo with a family I became friends with at our Hotel. We've been living here for a month and a half and we have made so many friends in this building! Anyway, we headed to the zoo (Clark was at work :( ... ) and started to look at all the amazing animals! We saw the sea lion and elephant shows and even saw the giraffe and cheetah feedings. I like the Singapore Zoo because the animals are so unbelievably close to you! There were Orang Utans swinging on ropes just 10 feet above our head and the giraffes would walk up 5 feet close to you! We were there for about 4 hours but that was just the right amount of time! The family I went with was so nice and their daughter Liat was the cutest girl ever! I hope you enjoy the pictures! I took a lot so I won't post all of them, but if you would like to look at all the pictures I took then check out this link :

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2089350&l=5bd73&id=193300028




You can also view a scrap page I made:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a26/jenzvb05/singapore%20zoo/singaporezoo_1.jpg

Bali Baby!

Thank you to those who voted on where Clark and I should go for Christmas this year. After much debate and thought we have decided we are going to BALI! We've booked our tickets and can't wait to spend 10 days over there! We wish December would come a little faster though. What better place to spend a holiday and new years...!

Happy Fathers Day!

Clark and I just wanted to take the oppurtunity to thank our dads back at home who do so much for us and have always been there for us. We truly appreciate your love and support everyday!

Botak Jones

Mmmm! Tonight we finally had some real authentic American food! This place is called Botak Jones and they sell everything from burgers to fish! I got the hamburger that had a tasty ciabatta bun and Clark enjoyed a Thai Chicken Sandwich. We were sooo hungry by the time we got our food that we scarfed it all down in no time. The line that we stood in was about a twenty minute wait and I think that we were the only Americans in line. I was surprised to see a lot of Singaporeans eating at Botak Jones tonight, however, they all had the same thing..fish fillets! This is totally of subject but Clark and I have realized that we like American Chinese food better a.k.a Panda Express...and we don't really care for the real Chinese and Asian food here. I guess we will have to get use to it right!? Anyway, after stuffing ourselves we decided to get a little treat! Mmm brownie and ice cream..........it was Divine! So tonight we had a great American meal and a tasty dessert for less than $20! What a night!

Chinatown!

Yesterday we headed to Chinatown!!! We walked out of the MRT station and there were tons of souvenir shops along with foot reflexology massage parlors. Clark and I will have to come back here and get some treats for people before we leave to go home! After the shops, we headed to a Hindu temple called " Sri Mariamman". We took off our shoes ( we both had flip flops on so we didn't care to leave our shoes outside, refer to my other post ) and headed inside where we looked around at the neat statues and listened to worship music.



Finally, it was time to EAT and Smith Street was our destination! Clark tried an Austrian hot dog and I tried a BBQ Pork Bun. The BBQ was in a white roll that looked like uncooked dough...I will show you a picture.
Since the bun wasn't that great we ordered noodles and chicken kabobs. Yes, we are very adventurous when it comes to food....not. After eating we walked around some more and looked at all the gadgets they had laying around in the shops. We came upon thousands of chopsticks and huge paintbrushes...literally I mean HUGE. The night was getting late so we headed on back to the MRT. Oh yeah, we got a slushee from 7 Eleven and it was Pineapple Grape...yet it was blue...pretty tasty though! Enjoy the pics! Tonight we will be going to a place called Botak Jones where they serve AMERICAN food! Woo Hoo! We will let you know how American it tastes....

Give Me Rambutan!

Well I was enjoying my free breakfast at our hotel this morning and scoping out my fruit options! I love it when they have pineapple, apples, or watermelon! Instead, I came upon a fruit that looked WEIRD! I had no idea what it was called or how to eat it so I took it back to the table where my newly made friend taught me the basics! I took some pics for ya so you could experience this too! The fruit is sweet and smooth and tastes nothing like I've eaten before. Clark and I have bothed tried this fruit and it was a successful experience! I wonder what fruit we will try next!?!?!
Look at it...
Peel it...
Eat it...!

Sri Krishnan Temple

Today I decided I would take a little walk down the street! I grabbed a REAL just juiced strawberry juice for $1.50 and a icecream sandwich between wafers for $1.00. What a nice little treat for a hot day. My journey took me down Waterloo Street where I came upon this really neat temple. You couldn't where shoes inside and it smelled of incense everwhere. The temple was built over 130 years ago and is one of the oldest temples in Singapore. IT was to cater to the needs of the large Hindu community from North and South India living in the neighborhood. The temple was consecrated in 1933. I did not go in because I didn't want anyone to take my cute shoes outside, so I took some pics and went along my way! Enjoy!