Christmas time or the Holidays (whatever religion you are) is a time for friends and family to get together and share a nice big dinner, exchange presents and enjoy eachother's company. Some go to more than one celebration, especially with divorced parents. Dustin and I would make our rounds from Christmas eve to possibly the day after. We probably had about four different places to go not including having my Mom over for Christmas.
This year was the first year that we had NO plans. None what so ever, minus the Grinches Christmas celebration at Harry's but that was on the 23rd. Now this celebration was just a whole bunch of Rugby Club members getting together, wearing the same t-shirt with Roadhouse quotes on it, and getting drunk. Basically kicking off the holidays with good fun.
During this time we were with our good friends of course, the ones who weren't going home for the holiday and we got invited by our American friends Clint and Meghan to go out to Outback for a Christmas eve dinner. We said yes and were excited to go, I couldn't tell you the last time I was at an Outback.
We all met on Christmas eve for dinner. The wait was unreal, no one made a reservation because last year it wasn't as busy. Our friend's flat mate (roommate) came a long as well, his first Outback experience and we were excited for him to experience the blooming Onion or as they call it here, the Typhoon onion. We got some apps (three different ones) and our main meals, some beers and had great conversation and great food. It was a Christmas Eve I will always remember. Both full and happy we came back to our apartment and watched a Christmas movie and a half (a half because facetime with our neighbor happened, and it's always fun to hear from him - Love you Jason) with some beer/wine and relaxed.
Christmas day consisted of us being lazy for a good bit. We had no plans to do anything with anyone. Dustin played COD and I read my book. We decided we wanted to go out to dinner, there was a new place across the street that we wanted to try but unfortunately when we got there it was closed. We did find a place and had great food. I tried Beef Cheek, yes the cheek of a cow. It wasn't that bad actually, especially mixed with pasta. Dustin had cab meat in pasta.
We cleared out and decided to go to Orchard Road. This road is like the Rodeo drive of Singapore. It's decorated with lights and fancy shops, just beautiful. On Christmas day they shut down most of the road and have what is like a float in the middle of the street, not going anywhere. There were TONS of people on this road. I couldn't believe my eyes, it was so hard just to get to where we were going which only took 10 minutes, now took 30. It was cool to see the lights but I was getting claustrophobic! After that dramatic walk we went to the bar at Orchard towers and had some drinks. After a couple of drinks we decided to head back to the apartment, but didn't want to go though the crowded street so we took a taxi.
Once we got back we realized it was Christmas morning in the states so we decided to facetime/skype/call our friends and family. This whole time it didn't feel like Christmas until we did call our family. I facetimed with my sister, brother in law and nieces. They were so adorable and it made me miss home so much, but that's okay. We talked to my parents, his family and we made some phone calls as well. We finished our movies and went to bed. and that was it, Christmas was over.
No traveling, no gifts to exchange, just being together and calling family. There was no stress to get gifts, the right gift, no stress about wrapping it perfectly, it was stress free and it was the most relaxing Christmas I have ever had. We didn't even have to clean up after cooking, because we didn't even cook.
I would write about new years eve, but Dustin is working until 10 so we are going to stay home and watch the fireworks from our apartment, nothing big.
I hope that everyone back at home, that your Christmas was merry and bright. We did miss you all and did miss our regular outings to see family and friends. We hope you have a wonderful and SAFE new year!
Tuesday 27 December 2011
Sunday 18 December 2011
Bandit in the doggie ER :(
As you all know our Bandit Boy has been in the Animal ER for the past couple of days. I will start from the beginning.
Dustin and I wake up to our iPhone ringing and his work phone ringing, yes this was weird and we knew something was up. It was our neighbor Jason calling us. Seeing how he facetimed our iPhone and his work phone all at the same time we knew something was wrong. I call him back because we missed his calls and Jason has a look on his face. I didn't know what to expect and he tried to not give us bs and get right to the call. He told us that Bandit was in the animal er. I am sure my face looked shocked/worried and that was exactly what I felt.
As Jason was explaining what was going on I just started having tears in my eyes. He explained that Krystal (wonderful girl living in our house with D's sister) and her boyfriend let Bandit out and they noticed how swollen his stomach was, they contacted Jason and they took him to the Emergency Vet in Winchester. (after consulting with Bandits original vet) The vet said they were going to wait a night and see if he could pass the mass that was in his stomach.
Now Once Jason said surgery was a possibility I had to leave. I took my computer and went into our bedroom. I heard Dustin say something about a flipped/twisted stomach and I lost it again. Yes, I was thinking of Marley and Me and could not stand the thought of putting Bandit down while we were 10 thousand miles away. Thankfully, it was not a flipped stomach.
Being so far away is really hard. Thankfully we called the vet and gave them D's work phone number and said to contact us with updates. They said that Surgery was going to be a last resort. The good thing was that Bandit was passing gas and fluids. We waited about 12 hours and the vet said that the mass had not moved and that Bandit would need surgery.
Once again I got very upset but tried to stay calm. The Vet said that because he had fluids and was already there he would be fine. Of course, us being on the other side of the world the surgery was happening during our middle of the night. We told the vet to call us anyways and let us know what happened and how he was doing.
1 am we got a phone call from Jason. Jason updated me on how Bandits surgery went and that his stomach was full of dog food. His stomach was so full that the stomach could not pass the amount of food he ate. It was so full it would be like you and I eating 2 Thanksgiving dinners. Thankfully Bandit made it though just fine. He is now recovering, he needs to take it easy, no excitement for 2 weeks, if not more. The vet also called us and kept us and is keeping us updated on his progress. While the vet was doing the surgery she did a preventative procedure called a stomach tackt. This means that whatever she did it will prevent his stomach from flipping/twisting because in big chested dogs, at his age (8) it would be likely that his stomach would flip at some point. I am glad that she did this procedure so we don't have to worry about it.
During this whole time I was freeking out. Bandit is a member of our family, anyone who knows Bandit knows that he is a sweet, sweet boy. Even though I am sure I could not do anything there all I wanted to do was go home and be there so when Bandit did get out of the Er I would be there taking care of him. I know he is in good hands at home but for some reason I don't care all I want to do is be home with our boy. Am I crazy? I don't think so. But I will get over it and skype with him when he gets home ;)
I know what your thinking, How did Bandit get into the food. We don't know. His bag of food was new and not torn into (it was in the coat closet). The only thing we can think of is that the latch on his food by his bowl didn't close and bandit hit it and saw how to open it and eat. Bandit is a smart boy, he can open the gate from the deck to get down to the yard, so I believe that he saw once he nudged the bin he could open it just enough to get his head in there.
I believe that this probably could not have been prevented. There were probably times where I didn't close the bin all the way. When Bandit gets hungry he gets excited and nudges his bin. Who's to say that this would not have happened with us being home? Who knows, all I know that if Krystal and her boyfriend were not there he may have been in a lot worse trouble. I am thankful they did the right thing. Yes, it was a VERY expensive visit for bandit, but what were we going to do, not pay the bill and let a member of our family die that could have been prevented with surgery? No we would figure out how to get it paid for and we did.
Jason was so wonderful keeping us updated and his concern for our boy was great. He is also going to be caring for him for the first three days back home. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family to care for him (yes, Jason has become so close to Dustin and I that he is family). Thank you Jason, for everything you have done and for listening to us and calming our fears.
I am also surprised of how many people on facebook responded to my posts about Bandit and his condition. I am so thankful for the support from friends and family who asked what they could do or said that they are pulling for him. I am sure if Bandit could speak our language he would say thank you all, from the bottom of his stomach ;)
Dustin and I wake up to our iPhone ringing and his work phone ringing, yes this was weird and we knew something was up. It was our neighbor Jason calling us. Seeing how he facetimed our iPhone and his work phone all at the same time we knew something was wrong. I call him back because we missed his calls and Jason has a look on his face. I didn't know what to expect and he tried to not give us bs and get right to the call. He told us that Bandit was in the animal er. I am sure my face looked shocked/worried and that was exactly what I felt.
As Jason was explaining what was going on I just started having tears in my eyes. He explained that Krystal (wonderful girl living in our house with D's sister) and her boyfriend let Bandit out and they noticed how swollen his stomach was, they contacted Jason and they took him to the Emergency Vet in Winchester. (after consulting with Bandits original vet) The vet said they were going to wait a night and see if he could pass the mass that was in his stomach.
Now Once Jason said surgery was a possibility I had to leave. I took my computer and went into our bedroom. I heard Dustin say something about a flipped/twisted stomach and I lost it again. Yes, I was thinking of Marley and Me and could not stand the thought of putting Bandit down while we were 10 thousand miles away. Thankfully, it was not a flipped stomach.
Being so far away is really hard. Thankfully we called the vet and gave them D's work phone number and said to contact us with updates. They said that Surgery was going to be a last resort. The good thing was that Bandit was passing gas and fluids. We waited about 12 hours and the vet said that the mass had not moved and that Bandit would need surgery.
Once again I got very upset but tried to stay calm. The Vet said that because he had fluids and was already there he would be fine. Of course, us being on the other side of the world the surgery was happening during our middle of the night. We told the vet to call us anyways and let us know what happened and how he was doing.
1 am we got a phone call from Jason. Jason updated me on how Bandits surgery went and that his stomach was full of dog food. His stomach was so full that the stomach could not pass the amount of food he ate. It was so full it would be like you and I eating 2 Thanksgiving dinners. Thankfully Bandit made it though just fine. He is now recovering, he needs to take it easy, no excitement for 2 weeks, if not more. The vet also called us and kept us and is keeping us updated on his progress. While the vet was doing the surgery she did a preventative procedure called a stomach tackt. This means that whatever she did it will prevent his stomach from flipping/twisting because in big chested dogs, at his age (8) it would be likely that his stomach would flip at some point. I am glad that she did this procedure so we don't have to worry about it.
During this whole time I was freeking out. Bandit is a member of our family, anyone who knows Bandit knows that he is a sweet, sweet boy. Even though I am sure I could not do anything there all I wanted to do was go home and be there so when Bandit did get out of the Er I would be there taking care of him. I know he is in good hands at home but for some reason I don't care all I want to do is be home with our boy. Am I crazy? I don't think so. But I will get over it and skype with him when he gets home ;)
I know what your thinking, How did Bandit get into the food. We don't know. His bag of food was new and not torn into (it was in the coat closet). The only thing we can think of is that the latch on his food by his bowl didn't close and bandit hit it and saw how to open it and eat. Bandit is a smart boy, he can open the gate from the deck to get down to the yard, so I believe that he saw once he nudged the bin he could open it just enough to get his head in there.
I believe that this probably could not have been prevented. There were probably times where I didn't close the bin all the way. When Bandit gets hungry he gets excited and nudges his bin. Who's to say that this would not have happened with us being home? Who knows, all I know that if Krystal and her boyfriend were not there he may have been in a lot worse trouble. I am thankful they did the right thing. Yes, it was a VERY expensive visit for bandit, but what were we going to do, not pay the bill and let a member of our family die that could have been prevented with surgery? No we would figure out how to get it paid for and we did.
Jason was so wonderful keeping us updated and his concern for our boy was great. He is also going to be caring for him for the first three days back home. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family to care for him (yes, Jason has become so close to Dustin and I that he is family). Thank you Jason, for everything you have done and for listening to us and calming our fears.
I am also surprised of how many people on facebook responded to my posts about Bandit and his condition. I am so thankful for the support from friends and family who asked what they could do or said that they are pulling for him. I am sure if Bandit could speak our language he would say thank you all, from the bottom of his stomach ;)
Wednesday 14 December 2011
Volunteering at RDA
RDA stands for Riding for the Disabled Association. In the Special Education world (or world of the the disabled as well) This Association is well known. Over the summer you all know I worked, but only for three weeks. There were plans in the making of getting the kids involved in riding at the RDA in Purcellville VA. I wasn't there long enough to see the full experiance but I am sure the kids loved it and I have hopes that the program is still being used at our school.
When I got here I had some friends who volunteered at RDA for the day (some compinies require a day where the workers go and volunteer instead of working that day- I think that is wonderful and should be implemented back in the states). My friends, Meghan and Clint, introduced me to Sophie and told me that Sophie volunteered at the RDA once a week. I looked up the RDA and emailed them to let them know that I was interested in working there. For a month I had not heard them back. With encouragement from our friend Rich and with Sophie offering to introduce me, I planned on just going. The funny thing is, I have yet to hear back from the emails I sent, and today was my first day volunteering.
The word Disabled can scare a lot of people off or itmidate them. I know that before I worked in the speical education department at home I was a little hesitant when it came to disabled people. I worked for three years at H high school in the Special Education Department and over the years I have become more and more comfortable and really found that special education is my passion. (the funny thing is that when I was first there I didn't want to teach Special Education, and now thats all I want to do). Once I found out that I could volunteer at RDA I was truly excited and rightly so, the students are wonderful and reminded me of how much I miss my students back at home.
When I first got to RDA Sophie showed me around and I met a lot of nice women. This facility backs right up to the Singapore Polo Club, and if people are not busy, after the morning session they would go there for lunch. The Polo Club has also donated some of their horses to the RDA. The ring was covered so I didn't have to worry about sunbun and we didn't have to worry about rain. After I was shown the ropes I had to fill out appropriate forms and of course, I bought a shirt.
Around 930 the children came. I was not sure what to expect age wise but I did know that our first student was Autistic, but Sophie said that he was a sweet boy (9 I believe) and very talkative. The age groups varied more so in the second group than the first. The first boy, we will call him 1, came up to me and said hello. I introduced myself and he said "Hello Lauren" and went to shake my hand but put it on my stomach so I took his hand and shook it. Once his horse was ready and he had his helmate on we were to enter the ring. He grabbed my and Sophies hand and was very excited to get on the horse. (there are side walkers, sophie and myself were side walkers today and then a leader who would be leading the horse more or less depending on the student's ability)
The activities in the ring were varied. There was a mirror, where the students can go over and see themselves, posture and practice how to sit on the horse and how to raise up and back down on the horse. There are different polls where the child would take christmas ordiments (christmas trees that were wood) one of the side walkers would (Sophie and myself) would take the pool and rise it high so the student would have to strech and maybe stand in the sturups to reach and then put it down low so the student would lean over to grab it. This was to take up time because there was an obstical course in the middle of the arina
The students would have to pick up a candy cane hold it and steer the horse over polls laying on the ground to the bucket where one of the side walkers would pick up and the child would place it there (all the while saying walk on, woah, trot on, all the commands) Then the child would steer the horse though blocks, weaving left and right to the end where then he or she would get three soft toy balls and thow them though a hoop, once done they would trot the horse back to the start. The students were also being timed (thankfully I have a stop watch on my watch).
Student 1 was very active on the horse and loved racing the obstical course. The student was very loud with commands and focused when in the obsitcal course. When trotting back Sophie and I had to hold his ankles because he'd put his feet out instead of putting them against the horse and down. Other wise the student was very good. When he went to the mirror the student did all of the different exersises but the student really wanted to do the race again and beat the previous time. Such a ball of energy, it was hard to see that the student was Autistic. I had the biggest smile on my face at the end and so did the student.
Student 2 was also Autisitc. I read the info on this student and apparently very shy and not talkitive at all. Student 2 was just that, but that was not a problem. Student 2 was a great rider. When asked questions student 2 answered but we also had to remind the student what to say (walk on, woah, trot on) and we had to remind the student to tug back on the rains to get the horse to truly stop. The posture and form was great with this student, we didn't even have to hold the students ankles when it was time to trot. I believe the student didn't really mind doing the obstical course or activites but I think the student really loved to just ride. By the end of the session I still had a huge smile on my face and so did student 2.
After the students left we all sat down and filled out the progress reports on our students and then after that there was a breifing session, everyone had a turn to talk about the horses and how they acted and how each student acted as well. I will say our hourse was great on the first round but the end he was getting onrey and that continued though out the second session, not going where he was suppose to and trying to head to the gate. He reminded me of a particular horse that I have ridden before becuase this horse was also afraid of trucks or different things, the horse that it reminded me of my Ikabod (yes Emily Lewis' horse). Both students did great when the horse was acting up. They didn't freek out at all!
Over all it was the best volunteer day to date! I am so thankful that I was introduced to this association. The volunteers that I worked with today were all expats, and one was even from Chevy Chase MD, another from Texas. I had such a great day and am planning on going back. The unfortunate thing is their last session for the year is either Monday or nedt wednesday. If it is next wednesday I will get to go and then it's holiday break. I will be continuing to work there because it just warmed my heart. It will also be great to see the students go from day one to 'graduation'. (8 week course).
A big thanks to Sophie and everyone else. I loved it and had such a great time, can not wait for the new year!
When I got here I had some friends who volunteered at RDA for the day (some compinies require a day where the workers go and volunteer instead of working that day- I think that is wonderful and should be implemented back in the states). My friends, Meghan and Clint, introduced me to Sophie and told me that Sophie volunteered at the RDA once a week. I looked up the RDA and emailed them to let them know that I was interested in working there. For a month I had not heard them back. With encouragement from our friend Rich and with Sophie offering to introduce me, I planned on just going. The funny thing is, I have yet to hear back from the emails I sent, and today was my first day volunteering.
The word Disabled can scare a lot of people off or itmidate them. I know that before I worked in the speical education department at home I was a little hesitant when it came to disabled people. I worked for three years at H high school in the Special Education Department and over the years I have become more and more comfortable and really found that special education is my passion. (the funny thing is that when I was first there I didn't want to teach Special Education, and now thats all I want to do). Once I found out that I could volunteer at RDA I was truly excited and rightly so, the students are wonderful and reminded me of how much I miss my students back at home.
When I first got to RDA Sophie showed me around and I met a lot of nice women. This facility backs right up to the Singapore Polo Club, and if people are not busy, after the morning session they would go there for lunch. The Polo Club has also donated some of their horses to the RDA. The ring was covered so I didn't have to worry about sunbun and we didn't have to worry about rain. After I was shown the ropes I had to fill out appropriate forms and of course, I bought a shirt.
Around 930 the children came. I was not sure what to expect age wise but I did know that our first student was Autistic, but Sophie said that he was a sweet boy (9 I believe) and very talkative. The age groups varied more so in the second group than the first. The first boy, we will call him 1, came up to me and said hello. I introduced myself and he said "Hello Lauren" and went to shake my hand but put it on my stomach so I took his hand and shook it. Once his horse was ready and he had his helmate on we were to enter the ring. He grabbed my and Sophies hand and was very excited to get on the horse. (there are side walkers, sophie and myself were side walkers today and then a leader who would be leading the horse more or less depending on the student's ability)
The activities in the ring were varied. There was a mirror, where the students can go over and see themselves, posture and practice how to sit on the horse and how to raise up and back down on the horse. There are different polls where the child would take christmas ordiments (christmas trees that were wood) one of the side walkers would (Sophie and myself) would take the pool and rise it high so the student would have to strech and maybe stand in the sturups to reach and then put it down low so the student would lean over to grab it. This was to take up time because there was an obstical course in the middle of the arina
The students would have to pick up a candy cane hold it and steer the horse over polls laying on the ground to the bucket where one of the side walkers would pick up and the child would place it there (all the while saying walk on, woah, trot on, all the commands) Then the child would steer the horse though blocks, weaving left and right to the end where then he or she would get three soft toy balls and thow them though a hoop, once done they would trot the horse back to the start. The students were also being timed (thankfully I have a stop watch on my watch).
Student 1 was very active on the horse and loved racing the obstical course. The student was very loud with commands and focused when in the obsitcal course. When trotting back Sophie and I had to hold his ankles because he'd put his feet out instead of putting them against the horse and down. Other wise the student was very good. When he went to the mirror the student did all of the different exersises but the student really wanted to do the race again and beat the previous time. Such a ball of energy, it was hard to see that the student was Autistic. I had the biggest smile on my face at the end and so did the student.
Student 2 was also Autisitc. I read the info on this student and apparently very shy and not talkitive at all. Student 2 was just that, but that was not a problem. Student 2 was a great rider. When asked questions student 2 answered but we also had to remind the student what to say (walk on, woah, trot on) and we had to remind the student to tug back on the rains to get the horse to truly stop. The posture and form was great with this student, we didn't even have to hold the students ankles when it was time to trot. I believe the student didn't really mind doing the obstical course or activites but I think the student really loved to just ride. By the end of the session I still had a huge smile on my face and so did student 2.
After the students left we all sat down and filled out the progress reports on our students and then after that there was a breifing session, everyone had a turn to talk about the horses and how they acted and how each student acted as well. I will say our hourse was great on the first round but the end he was getting onrey and that continued though out the second session, not going where he was suppose to and trying to head to the gate. He reminded me of a particular horse that I have ridden before becuase this horse was also afraid of trucks or different things, the horse that it reminded me of my Ikabod (yes Emily Lewis' horse). Both students did great when the horse was acting up. They didn't freek out at all!
Over all it was the best volunteer day to date! I am so thankful that I was introduced to this association. The volunteers that I worked with today were all expats, and one was even from Chevy Chase MD, another from Texas. I had such a great day and am planning on going back. The unfortunate thing is their last session for the year is either Monday or nedt wednesday. If it is next wednesday I will get to go and then it's holiday break. I will be continuing to work there because it just warmed my heart. It will also be great to see the students go from day one to 'graduation'. (8 week course).
A big thanks to Sophie and everyone else. I loved it and had such a great time, can not wait for the new year!
Tuesday 13 December 2011
Public Restrooms....
Being here for the length that we have it is inevitable for me not to use a public restroom. Back in the states it's always a gamble, but most of the time the public rest rooms are just nasty (this does not include restaurants/bars ect). In Singapore everyone knows it's illegal to litter, so as you all can imagine, the city is very clean if not the cleanest city there is in the world.
Because of this my expectations of a public restroom in Singapore was high. Most restaurants have bathrooms around here, and if they do have them they are decent. If the restaurant does not have a restroom (crazy I know) then it is in the building that the restaurant is attached to (a public restroom).
It was mentioned to us in passing by the NCompass agent that she was glad that most restrooms around here had 'western toilets'. I thought nothing of this, thinking that because Singapore was such a melting pot that the toilets would be ones I am use to, Wrong. They have what is called a Squattie Pottie (thetas what I call it anyways).
Some may know what I am talking about but if you don't google it or I can explain the best I can. It's a toilet that is basically a hole in the ground, it's not like an actual hole, its a working toilet but what would be the seat of the toilet it's level with the ground. There are little places you put your feet and you squat and do your business. (I have only ever used two because I had to pee so bad that I couldn't wait for a western toilet to open).
With this being said it made sense why there were signs in the western toilet stalls saying don't squat on the toilet, this included a picture of a person on top of the toilet seat squatting. Because of this note I look every time and there have been some toilets I go to and there are foot prints on the seat of a western toilet!
Enough about the squattie potties. I have to say that the public restrooms are NASTY here. For this being the cleanest city in the world I am very disappointed in how the upkeep of public toilets are. Some I walk in and the smell hits me like a mac truck, BLAH! The floors are wet, either with water or something else to where I have to roll up my pants if I am wearing pants (not usually, too dang hot).
I will say that the worst once I have used is at Orchard Towers because the Harrys at that location does not have it's own bathroom and I dread using the public one ALL the time. I love the bar, that is where the house band plays and the lead singer is an Asian Boy George (refer to my mobile uploads). Any MRT restroom is nasty and some mall ones are as well.
I don't understand it. The city hires a lot of people to take care of the streets and puts laws in place so no one litters but they don't take care of their public restrooms? Its bad enough that people walk around here coughing and sneezing out in the open spreading germs and crap, now I have to worry what I am going to contract by going in and using the restroom out in public! (Hand Sanitizer is with me at all times)
Because of this my expectations of a public restroom in Singapore was high. Most restaurants have bathrooms around here, and if they do have them they are decent. If the restaurant does not have a restroom (crazy I know) then it is in the building that the restaurant is attached to (a public restroom).
It was mentioned to us in passing by the NCompass agent that she was glad that most restrooms around here had 'western toilets'. I thought nothing of this, thinking that because Singapore was such a melting pot that the toilets would be ones I am use to, Wrong. They have what is called a Squattie Pottie (thetas what I call it anyways).
Some may know what I am talking about but if you don't google it or I can explain the best I can. It's a toilet that is basically a hole in the ground, it's not like an actual hole, its a working toilet but what would be the seat of the toilet it's level with the ground. There are little places you put your feet and you squat and do your business. (I have only ever used two because I had to pee so bad that I couldn't wait for a western toilet to open).
With this being said it made sense why there were signs in the western toilet stalls saying don't squat on the toilet, this included a picture of a person on top of the toilet seat squatting. Because of this note I look every time and there have been some toilets I go to and there are foot prints on the seat of a western toilet!
Enough about the squattie potties. I have to say that the public restrooms are NASTY here. For this being the cleanest city in the world I am very disappointed in how the upkeep of public toilets are. Some I walk in and the smell hits me like a mac truck, BLAH! The floors are wet, either with water or something else to where I have to roll up my pants if I am wearing pants (not usually, too dang hot).
I will say that the worst once I have used is at Orchard Towers because the Harrys at that location does not have it's own bathroom and I dread using the public one ALL the time. I love the bar, that is where the house band plays and the lead singer is an Asian Boy George (refer to my mobile uploads). Any MRT restroom is nasty and some mall ones are as well.
I don't understand it. The city hires a lot of people to take care of the streets and puts laws in place so no one litters but they don't take care of their public restrooms? Its bad enough that people walk around here coughing and sneezing out in the open spreading germs and crap, now I have to worry what I am going to contract by going in and using the restroom out in public! (Hand Sanitizer is with me at all times)
Saturday 10 December 2011
Day to day
We are on the third month of living here and it has it ups and downs. In the beginning I was having a lot of fun exploring the city and getting to know where to go and what to do when Dustin was working. Being here he works days, which in the beginning I thought was going to be wonderful.
It is wonderful to have him home every night, trust me I like that I don't sleep alone at night. But I didn't realize just how long a 12 hour sift is until here. He is gone all day, usually at home I would go to bed about four hours after he leaves the house and when I wake up he's home or going to be home. Here I have from 8am to about 10:15pm to kill time with out him.
Once we got settled into our apartment I was starting to run out of things to do. I have seen all I really want to see by myself around here. I would like to go to the zoo and things like that but I want to wait till there is a day when Dustin is off. We do have friends but they work as well, I believe all of them work a 9-5 five days a week job.
Can you see where I am going with this? The days Dustin works during the week (and sometimes the weekends) I can get really lonely. I know, I live in Singapore but there are only so many things I can do, plus I don't want to spend a ton of money just because, that is just stupid. Yes, I have started to volunteer but it's not every day so it does entertain me and I do enjoy it a lot but when I am not volunteering the days get long. I hang by the pool or go walk around by myself window shopping, the gym takes up about forty minutes of my time.
At home I would meet up with friends or clean the house while Dustin was sleeping or I'd do yard work, something. Here I find myself trying to do stuff but doing it by yourself gets old, fast. I know this won't last too long because I am hoping to pick up different volunteer jobs that take up the week and once the new year comes our travel time will start and we will start getting visitors for at least a week. But right now, holidays and things like that get me thinking which turns into being homesick.
I know I will get over this but just so you all know I am not living the life of luxury out here because I am not working, I don't think I fit in that life style anyways, it does get lonely but with support from my wonderful Fiance and my family keeping up with emails I will be fine.
It is wonderful to have him home every night, trust me I like that I don't sleep alone at night. But I didn't realize just how long a 12 hour sift is until here. He is gone all day, usually at home I would go to bed about four hours after he leaves the house and when I wake up he's home or going to be home. Here I have from 8am to about 10:15pm to kill time with out him.
Once we got settled into our apartment I was starting to run out of things to do. I have seen all I really want to see by myself around here. I would like to go to the zoo and things like that but I want to wait till there is a day when Dustin is off. We do have friends but they work as well, I believe all of them work a 9-5 five days a week job.
Can you see where I am going with this? The days Dustin works during the week (and sometimes the weekends) I can get really lonely. I know, I live in Singapore but there are only so many things I can do, plus I don't want to spend a ton of money just because, that is just stupid. Yes, I have started to volunteer but it's not every day so it does entertain me and I do enjoy it a lot but when I am not volunteering the days get long. I hang by the pool or go walk around by myself window shopping, the gym takes up about forty minutes of my time.
At home I would meet up with friends or clean the house while Dustin was sleeping or I'd do yard work, something. Here I find myself trying to do stuff but doing it by yourself gets old, fast. I know this won't last too long because I am hoping to pick up different volunteer jobs that take up the week and once the new year comes our travel time will start and we will start getting visitors for at least a week. But right now, holidays and things like that get me thinking which turns into being homesick.
I know I will get over this but just so you all know I am not living the life of luxury out here because I am not working, I don't think I fit in that life style anyways, it does get lonely but with support from my wonderful Fiance and my family keeping up with emails I will be fine.
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