Geeky Tai-Tai's Great Road Trip Oh-Eight, La Troisième Partie

Where was I?  Oh, let's see, yeah, da boyz and I were headed to Carlinville.  We arrived there around 5:30 (Central) Saturday.  We were greeted by by Buckner, Skip and Beth's dog (a Great Pyrenees).  None of the dogs really knew how to react to the other.  Hunter and Clyde mostly tried to hide behind me.

We drank a few beers, watched the dogs play, and then decided to head uptown to Angus Bailey's for some dinner.  I forget now what I had, but I can assure you it was teh yummeh!  I love that place because they have such a varied menu, and the portions on huge.

Buckner, Beth, and Hunter

We spent Sunday getting the garage ready for the big Thanksgiving feast.  Skip vacuumed the big rug (which terrified Hunter for the longest time), set up the tables, and then he and I had the best time decorating the "Thanksgiving" tree.  It turned out really cool.

In the afternoon, Skip took da boyz and me to visit my mother-in-law, Gloria, at the nursing home.  She's had Alzheimer's for years now, but the illness has progressed very quickly of late, and it's heartbreaking.

When we arrived, Skip said, "Hi, Mom, do you know who I am?" and she very politely replied, "No, I don't believe I do."

Skip led us down the hall so that I could see her room and we could get her jacket.  Skip and Beth have seen to it that she has all of her special things -- photos, her favorite chair, things like that.  She told me that everyone there is very nice and she likes it there. 

After we'd retrieved her jacket, we went back down the hallway to head outside when I discovered a "deposit" on the sparkling floor left by one of mah boyz!  One of the aides cleaned it up for me since I didn't have any of my plastic bags with me.  Doh!

We went outside to sit on the bench she likes to sit on.  We didn't have a conversation really, but it was nice to sit with her and she seemed to enjoy petting Hunter.  He loved it!  After about 15 minutes, Gloria was ready to go back inside.  A young lady was there doing manicures.  Skip helped Gloria select a new color besides the bright pink she'd had on. 

While Skip went to back to set Glo's TV to FOX so that she could watch football later that afternoon, I stayed in the commons area with Clyde and Hunter.  They were perfectly behaved!  One resident in particular, really loved petting them. I was so proud of mah boyz, and it made me feel good that they brightened the day for so many people.  This is what I hope we can do on a regular basis in the future.

My niece, Jessica, came over later in the afternoon along with her puppy, Reilly.  Take a look...

We had the best time just watching those three little fellas!

Sunday evening, I took the boys out to potty around 10:30 and had a smoke. It was so cold and Hunter is still scared of the stairs. I got he and Clyde up on the deck and decided I couldn't put that cig out on the deck because it would leave 

a nasty black spot. I spied the planter nearby and thought, "Aw, well, I can just put it out in there and then head upstairs with the boys."

Around 3:30 a.m. I heard commotion downstairs -- Beth calling very loudly for Skip. I went back to sleep, but wondered why she was getting up so early for work. We woke up around 8:30, I threw on some clothes so that I could take the pups out to potty.  Skip came in and said, "Good morning", but not in his usual jovial tone.

"Well, good morning, Skip, how are you today?"

He had an odd look on his face, and he hesitated before speaking.

"Skip, are you OK? Is something wrong?" I'm getting scared now because he's a pretty laid back guy most of the time.

Skip finally said, "Uh, yes mostly, but we've had a bit of a problem." He put his arm around me, helped me with getting the leashes on the pups, and led me out onto the deck. What I saw -- well, it just sent me into a state of shock. It took a few seconds for the sight to sink in before I realized that I HAD SET THEIR HOUSE ON FIRE! OMG! I started bawling!

He was kind enough to let me cry on his shoulder, held me, and then he said, 

"We need some coffee. I can't figure out how to work that new coffee maker, so I'm going to take Buckner in the truck to get us some."

Hunter was so upset about me crying and being upset, he couldn't stop shaking. I couldn't stop shaking and eventually felt like I was going to be very ill. The damage is rather minimal when I think what it could've been, but that's when I get nauseous -- again! I am so grateful that Beth decided to go through the kitchen to get to the bathroom at 3:30 a.m.  I still can't believe that it happened. GAH

Buckner letting me know that I'm an idiot!

To be continued... at my NEW blog:  The Real Life of a Geeky Tai-Tai

Geeky Tai-Tai's Great Road Trip Oh-Eight, Première Partie

I think the most difficult thing about living in Singapore for us was not being able to be with our family and friends during American holidays.  Oh my, please don't misunderstand!  We have always had fun with our friends (chosen family) wherever we've lived because, really, how can one not appreciate the special people that we've been so fortunate to meet? 

Now that we're back stateside, we still struggle with the logistics of being with our families. Most of WHH's family is in Carlinville, IL, most of mine in Indianapolis, and we're in Atlanta.  Jim was busy with OTR truck-driving school and was unable to leave Indy.  Patrick is going to school and working in Atlanta.  We couldn't be with one son and not the other.  It's just not right.

The more we talked about it we realized that it would be simplest for me to take a road trip to Carlinville and Indy, and visit my friends along the way.  I love road trips!

I put Clyde and Hunter in their car seats on Friday, November 28, for the first leg of our trip to Louisville, KY.  I hadn't seen my friend, Junebug, in 4 1/2 years.

  

Junebug and Me

We spent the evening talking, laughing, drinking lots of beer, before I went to bed at 2 a.m.  I set the alarm on my phone for 8:00 a.m. because I was going to meet-up with Sodapop and LaciLoo at Lynn's Paradise Cafe for breakfast at 9:00.  Uhm, guess what... I didn't wake up until 8:40!  I jumped up, threw on some clothes, called Laci to apologize and tell her I would be on my way as soon as I could feed and walk mah boys.  

I hurriedly said my goodbyes to my friends and loaded up my things and the dogs to head over to the restaurant.

As I was driving into Louisville, Laci SMSed to say that they were seated at the very rear of the restaurant.  When I arrived, I was an hour late!  I was terribly embarrassed, but they both made me laugh when they told me that they were both jittery from drinking so much coffee!

Sodapop and Me

LaciLoo and Me

We spent the next hour and a half getting to know each other better and enjoying the delicious breakfast.  Oh, and we also talked about the awesomeness of other bloggers I've met at TequilaCon '08 and Avitable's Halloween party (Dave2, Adam, Miss Britt, Hilly, Karl).  There are more, but we didn't have that much time because I needed to get on the road to Carlinville and they were going to see Twilight.

You can bet that the next time I'm in Louisville, I will definitely meet-up with Sodapop and LaciLoo again.  These gals know how to have fun and they make me laugh!  Thank you for spending your morning with me.

To be continued...

Gimme One Reason To Stay Here...

And we'll turn right back around...

Living in Singapore was a wonderful experience for both of us. It's hard for me to put into words how special it was for my WHH (Way-Hot Husband = Michael). He was able to work with a team of exceptional talent that had been without leadership for several months. It didn't take long for him to learn about each of his team members' talents and their willingness to work toward the unusual goals that his team had set.


Honestly?? I was almost sick of hearing the acronym for the new platform that his team had developed! He was on the phone most nights with Europe or the U.S. along with the Singaporean team members for the last 2+ years. The coolest part is that the entire project has been successful and nothing like this has ever been done before.

I have always been proud of my husband. He is loving, honorable, trustworthy, sincere, and a loving father -- qualities that aren't always so easy to find. What an adventure the last 30 years has been. It sure doesn't seem like it's been that long to me.

I think this video sums up what I'm trying to say, but in pictures instead. I would prefer to say, "We'll see you again soon!" rather than "Farewell".

Back in the USA Part 2

Even more compelling video for your viewing pleasure...

Some Good News

Good news! Miss Ann's raffle has raised almost $5,000 -- enough money to send Lisa and her family to Disney World, plus a little extra for her to use however she wishes. Honestly, it is just awesome that so many people came together to help a friend realize her dream before she starts chemo treatments.

Lisa plans to attend TequilaCon '08, too since she lives in the area. I'll actually get to meet her after reading and commenting for a year! There will be much squeeee-ing, hugging, and kissing going on at the Lounge 'n Lanes in Philly that night. Especially, when we'll have the likes of Dustin wearing the very special outfit his mom sent him. ROFLMAO!

The other good news is that our niece, Alex, and her boyfriend, Adam, are out of the hospital. Adam was fortunate in that his injuries were not too extensive because his seatbelt did not break. He had two broken ribs and the right side of his body was bruised.

Alex was not so fortunate. She was driving. Probably too fast, but do you know any 19-year old who doesn't? It was raining, and she hit a bad pothole that she couldn't see. I'm fairly certain that she was driving her dad's big Chevy truck and the seat-belt broke. The truck flipped numerous times (I think 5), she was ejected, the truck rolled over her left shoulder and her arm was completely severed. She also sustained a broken eye-socket, broken jaw, a laceration on her face, and significant blood-loss (there could be more, but this is all I can recall).

A passerby helped them, found her arm, and called for help. They were transported to Methodist Hospital, the trauma center in Indianapolis. However, none of the surgeons there wanted to attempt to reattach her arm because her shoulder was so damaged. I think it was her big brother, Matt, who made the decision to find another doctor willing to attempt the surgery. Her parents were in Florida at the time of the accident (they're moving there), so a lot of the decision-making was on his shoulders. He just turned 24 April 13, but has served two times in Iraq. He told his mom and dad, "This was the hardest thing I've had to do in my life." I guess you do what you've got to do, and he did a fine job!

The doctor willing to attempt to reattach Alex's arm was at St. Vincent's Hospital. She underwent numerous surgeries to remove dead tissue and bone, transfusions, as well as litres and litres of fluids. By the end of the weekend her little body weighed 50 pounds more than when she was admitted.

The doctors decided to allow her eye-socket to heal without surgery, but they repaired her jaw with a titanium plate rather than wiring it shut because of nutritional concerns. We actually got to speak with her last Sunday on the phone. She'd only had the tube removed from her throat hours before, and her voice was remarkably strong.

So far, she's stable and healing well. She was released from the hospital Saturday, and even posted a short note on Facebook saying that she won't be on the computer much for a while. She's got a long row to hoe, but I know she can do it!

Thank you all so much for your good thoughts and kind words for both Lisa and Alex. They mean a lot to all of us.

Sometimes We Need A Little Help from Friends

I was going to write about our anniversary evening, but something more important has come up and I need to ask for your help.

I know many of you don't understand this blogging business or the friendships that I've made over the last couple of years. After I started reading blogs, I began to know these people -- probably even better than some of my In Real Life (IRL) friends.

We interact with comments on each other's blogs, Flickr, Twitters, chats, etc. My circle of blogging friends are talented writers, smart as hell, and almost always very funny. I'm always drawn to people who have a sense of humor. When a fellow blogger has a crisis and shares it with us, the blogging community rallies in support. These friendships are real. Connecting with other bloggers all over the world has helped me tremendously while living in Singapore. I'm not so sure I would've adjusted as well as I have without knowing these wonderful people were out there and willing to lend a hand if I needed it.

One of my favorite blog friends is, Lisa, a 41-year old wife and mother of two beautiful daughters. I've been reading her since the beginning of last year. She spent a lot of last year in a coma as well as suffering amnesia resulting from surgery for ovarian cancer. Even though she was in the hospital or at home recovering from March to September, she still managed to graduate from college in October. She went back to work and started working on her Master's degree. She is an amazing woman, honest and forthright.

The following is a quote from Lisa's Promises, Promises post from last November:

Changed jobs
Battled depression
Seen my father on a ventilator after having two heart attacks
Turned 40 and had a mid-life crisis
Battled depression
Had cancer
Survived six surgeries
Was in a coma
Had amnesia
Battled depression
Couldn’t walk
Had numerous other medical complications
Battled depression
My dad had a heart transplant
My mother was diagnosed with cancer
Battled depression
Graduated from school
Started Graduate school
Battled depression
Lost 60 pounds
Battled depression

Yesterday, Lisa wrote that she has cancer again, and it has spread. As I said, when a friend is going through rough times, the blogging community rallies. In this case, Miss Ann Thrope, decided to host a raffle of one of her beautiful afghans to earn enough money for Lisa and her family to go to Disneyworld. Since then, a lot of other bloggers have donated prizes to the raffle too. Check out Miss Ann's post for the additional prizes. All of them are very generous and given from the heart.

This is a cause very near and dear to my heart. I hope you'll consider a donation.

Lisa and her family went through hell last year (that is an understatement if there ever was one). They deserve to have some fun times together without worrying about finances.

A couple of other things I ask of you... go over to Lisa's place and leave a supportive comment. Yes, even if you don't know her. Bloggers love comments and feedback. At a time like this, it is even more important.

If you believe in the power of prayer, I would ask you to keep Lisa and her family in yours. If you don't believe in prayer, please just think good thoughts for them and donate as much money as you can afford.

Thank you, my friends.

Things Are Looking UP!

It pretty much sucks getting older... we fight the battle of the bulge, we fight the cholesterol and the triglycerides, and we lose our hair -- all over! Damnit, that really does a number on the ego. Seriously.

Asians tend to have very sparse or almost non-existent eyebrows and their eyelashes are rather short. Caucasians on the other hand, mostly have eyebrows and eyelashes, but we lose them as we get older.

My friend Jing and I went to get our eyebrows tattooed last month, and I was very pleased with the results. Jimbo and I were talking on Skype the other day, and he said he thought I looked younger. WOO-HOO! Such a good son he is.

I went for a touch-up this past Friday because the tattoos fade after a bit. They're only semi-permanent, unlike regular tattoos. The eyebrows don't hurt that much, but the eyeliner did -- especially the lower lids even though she applied a numbing gel. My eye was twitching so much that Emily (the artist) had to press on my eyes to keep them from twitching! Owww! By the time I left the place, both eyes were completely numb and my vision was blurry. The price we pay, right?

Yeah, well, I'm happy with the results and also happy not to have to draw eyebrows everyday to keep from looking sick. I hate that. They're a bit dark now, but they'll lighten and look more natural in a few days. They also will "do" lips, but since I'm addicted to lipgloss there's really not much reason for me to have mine done.

Everyone at the center is friendly and helpful. The facility is spotlessly clean, the treatment rooms have "spa" music playing. and are quite comfortable. and it smells really nice, too. If you're interested in finding out more...

Derma-Aesthetics Centre
3 Killiney Road #01-03 Winsland House
6836-8388
www.erabelle.com

Saturday evening we met up with Nabil and Shyanne at Pete's Place for dinner, but the first order of the evening was my purchase of a brand new Macbook from Shyanne. Yeah! I'm so pumped. After we gabbed about how much I'm going to love my Mac, we ate dinner which was definitely not on my diet (spaghetti and meatballs), but damn it was yummeh! I ate every bit of it! We went upstairs to mezza9 for drinks and had the best time chatting and laughing. They definitely know how to make a great martini, and Shyanne and Nabil are so nice to hang out with a couple of old people.

My Macbook is simple to use, it's incredible! We just took it out of the box and turned it on. I plugged my mouse in, and it worked without having some pop-up saying that it "Found New Hardware". I.LOVE.IT!

The plans for our repatriation are starting to come together. We're going to move into a service apartment April 1. The packers will start packing our stuff April 5 and we'll hand over this apartment on the 15th. We will take the direct flight from Singapore to Newark April 30 (we leave 4/30 and arrive 4/30 cool, huh?). Then we'll rent a car and drive down to Philadelphia for TequilaCon '08! I've booked a room for us at the Holiday Inn in the Historic District, for May 2 and 3. Unfortunately, we'll have to leave early on the 4th because of our flight to Atlanta. We don't feel like arriving late at night. It's an hour's drive from the airport to the hotel where we'll be staying until our "stuff" arrives.

I am so excited about getting to meet Dave (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!), Jenny, Mr. Fabulous, Shelli, Lisa, Karl, Avitable, Miss Britt, plus a whole bunch of other bloggers I haven't read yet, and with the help and generosity of Avi and Miss Britt.....

Hilly!

If you've got a Paypal account, it would be so nice of you to give 1, 5, or $10. All of us bloggers would appreciate it because it wouldn't be a good TequilaCon without her (as you can see from this photo)

(Photo courtesy Hilly's camera)

I've been reading all of these bloggers for over a year now, and they are friends to me. I am so grateful that my WHH is willing to do this for me. Our 30th wedding anniversary is April 1... his gift to me is to fly us home in Business Class (rather than the back of the bus deal as we're accustomed) and attending TequilaCon '08 in Philly.

With all of the travel I've done over the years, I've never been to Philadelphia before! This trip is going to be a great incentive for me to do the inventory, move to the service apartment, box up all of our important documents and bills, give away appliances we can't use in the U.S., etc. Moving is always a huge disruption in our lives, but moving overseas is even more complicated. It's worth it, but it still takes a toll.

I'm glad that I'll get to meet everyone at TequilaCon AND get to see our family and friends. That's what life is all about!

News Flash!!!

I've been a very bad blogger the last couple of weeks. I just wasn't in much of a mood to write. That doesn't mean that nothing interesting has happened though.

1. This guy, Mas Selamat, is a very "wily" character, as Minister Mentor Lee Kwan Yew referred to him, escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Center almost two weeks ago. He is the leader of of the notorious Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group. Although the government has conducted extensive searches, he remains at large.

Photo from Interpol website

2. In January the Singapore goverment announced the detention of 13 terrorist suspects for suspicious activity under the Internal Security Act. The Straits Times also reported that many suspects are "self-radicalised" even though the government does their best to block terrorist websites.

3. I believe that the government's efforts to keep Singapore secure has also caused the blocking of several non-terrorist websites which would include Stickam. They don't need jihadists chatting online and conspiring to blow something up. Therefore, I've removed my Stickam from this blog. I'll put it back up when I start my new blog.

4. The jack-hammering of Ardmore Point has still not resumed. I hear workers, but no jack-hammering and that makes me very happy. I hope it remains this way until we move out of this place.

5. I just talked to the mover guy, and he will have people here to begin packing April 5. After everything is packed, I'll "hand-over" the keys to the agent. Then, we'll move into a serviced apartment until April 30.

6. Next, the plan is to take the direct flight to Newark stay the night, and then go to Philadelphia for TequilaCon2008! at the North Bowl Lounge 'n Lanes. My WHH has agreed to attend too! Yippeeee! I'm so excited!

7. After our fun-filled adventures meeting a whole bunch of really cool and famous blogger friends, we'll fly to Atlanta and move back into our house.

My Name is Happy

After running across Geeky Tai-Tai's blog a week ago, and after an exchange of emails, she asked me if I would guest blog on my latest experience with Americans.

Little did I know, one fateful evening a couple of weeks ago, that I was about to encounter a pair of true USA small town Midwestern boys. Okay, perhaps “boys” is an inappropriate description of two brothers 54 and 56 years old, but heavens, I swear those men were as shy as a pair of 15-year old school boys fondling their first Playboy.

Our karaoke business would be described as a “typical” Asian business experience. Businessmen in Asia Pacific work terribly long and hard during the day, and need to relax in the evenings, complete with a level of “de-coupling” of one’s personal life versus one’s business life. Entertaining business associates is a fundamental requirement to doing business in Asia. In the US, they talk about working hard and playing hard. In my line of work, playing hard takes on a brand new meaning for our gentlemen customers.

When I walked into the karaoke room that evening with my fellow associates, I saw in front of me 10 men, each looking for a “partner” for the next couple of hours. My Madam then matched us up with the business man that she felt would be the best match. I would never have guessed that inside the comfort of our plush room were two Americans ripe for the picking. My friend, Jana and I were chosen to sit next to Ray and Al. Jana had only arrived in Singapore one month earlier. She showed Ray her green card and said she was here to learn English. Yea right…! But hey, it’s a great lead in line and the men suck it up big time.

The evening with my assigned karaoke partner Al, (we will call him Al to protect all involved) started out innocently enough. His brother, Ray, has been stationed in Singapore for 3+ years to date, and was planning to head back to the US later this year. Al had decided to visit him prior to his final departure. Ray had taken him earlier in the evening for a Chinese New Year dinner sponsored by one of Ray’s suppliers. There were about 10 of Ray’s colleagues at the dinner plus 4 people from the supplier. The supplier had also arranged the after-dinner entertainment at our establishment.

Al went on to describe for me his visits to Fort Siloso, the Underwater Aquarium, the Monkey Death March, Boat Quay, Clarke Quay, and certainly last but not least, the Four Floors of Whores. In our line of business, we find this title to be less than flattering, but history does not allow us to change perceptional thinking as easily as one might think.

It would probably be good to describe our karaoke room. Al’s version, as explained to me later, was the Holiday Inn off Interstate 55, in the bar, with a microphone and small television on a roll away cart, with drunk people singing nasty country songs.

Our room is 20 x 30 square feet. We have deep plush couches instead of bar stools. Our television is an overhead LCD projector that lights up a 6 ft screen, conveniently tucked into a wall unit with 2 - 32” LCD’s on either side. Sound is pumped throughout the room with studio quality. Let’s be clear, this is no shit-hole, it’s our office and we keep it nice and tidy.

So here we are, sitting with our appointed dates and beginning to settle in for the pre-ordered 2 hours of entertainment. One of the ladies cranked up the karaoke machine and we had our first volunteer belting away at a local favorite.

Al seemed a bit nervous, making small talk with me as stated above, smiling, but clearly unsure what this was all about. His brother Ray was equally coming to grips with this new style of karaoke. Jana and I passed a glancing eye as we both tried to size up our prey.

After 10 minutes Al looks over at Ray and says “I need to talk to you”. Ray says “Okay, can do.” Two minutes pass and Al again looks over at Ray, voice now slightly raised and says “No, I really need to talk to you!”

In a flash the brothers are up off the couch and headed outside for a conversation. Jana and I just looked at each other and thought maybe the brothers were plotting their next moves on us, hoping to start with this, move to that, and end up with something else. We like it when the men take charge as opposed to sit there like wimps with puppy dog faces.

I can only imagine the discussion they were having, but I suspect that it went something like this:

Al: “Ray, what’s going on here?”

Ray: “Shit I don’t know, I’ve never done this before either. Let’s just relax and when our host gets here I can check with him and get the scoop.”

There was probably a moment where Al thought that his brother had set him up for this.

Al: “No really, Jesus, this is freaking me out. All I can see is my wife’s face in my head!”

Ray: “Okay, okay, as soon as our host gets here I’ll explain to him that we need to shorten the evening considerably and we’ll catch a cab back to my place.”

Poor Ray was struggling with a weird stomach virus he picked up on a recent trip to Bangalore, so this whole conversation is taking place while he’s on the crapper doing courtesy flushes to keep from really sending his brother over the edge.

The boys finally returned from their discussion to take their assigned seats next to Jana and me. We settled in with a couple of beers along with a whiskey and water. It is customary for us to sit close to our companions, lock arms with them, and gently pat their legs to reassure them that they are in good and capable hands. Ray was wearing jeans and Al was wearing shorts. This gave Al the advantage over his brother, as Al was allowed to feel the painstaking work we ladies go through to have smooth and silky legs. His were manly legs with the right amount of leg hair to tickle my outer thigh as we chatted. I could sense a good time was on the horizon.

Al turns to his left and has a brief discussion with one of Ray’s work colleagues sitting on the other side of him. I’m not sure exactly the gist of the conversation, but I did hear Ray’s colleague turn to look at Al with a smile on his face and say, “What happens in Singapore, stays in Singapore.”

It was at that very moment that I began to explore the titillating area just under the end of Al’s beige shorts. As if being shot out of a cannon, he quickly looked over at Ray and said, “I gotta go!”

Ray, trying to reassure his brother that all would be cool when the host arrived, responded with “Okay, okay.”

Apparently Al was not sure that Ray heard him, so he repeated himself, only this time a bit louder, “No you don’t understand, I need to go and I need to go, right now!”

With that Al stands up and tells Ray “Look, I can catch a cab and you can stay, but I gotta go.”

Ray, sensing the urgency of the situation and the sheer panic in his brother’s voice, extracts himself from Jana’s body press and gets up off the couch to say to his brother. “Clear, let’s go, it’s no big deal.” With that, Ray turns to his fellow colleagues and apologizes that he and Al must go now, please continue with your evening, enjoy yourselves and he would see them tomorrow at work.

If there were a world record for sitting comfortably beside a companion one minute and actually crossing a 30ft room and out the door the next, then Al would have shattered that sucker. Jana and I were almost sucked out of the room by the vacuum created by the two brothers’ exit. Poor Ray didn’t even get to finish his beer. Side-note: One of his work colleagues told Jana and I later that this was paramount to a mortal sin, punishable by spending time with his wife while she got a pedicure and manicure. Ray did not strike me as a pedicure kind of guy, so this truly must have been a devastating moment for him.

What happened next is only hearsay from a brief encounter with one of Ray’s colleagues about 2 weeks later. Story has it that when Ray and Al got back to Ray’s place, Ray’s wife, Lynn, took one look at Al and said, “Are you okay?” It seems that Lynn has seen this look before on Ray, and can always tell when something’s not right.

Anyway, the first words out of Al’s mouth were “where’s the #@$^ing Vodka, I need a drink and I need it now!” After quickly downing a vodka on the rocks, lots of olives, with a splash of ice, Al spilled his guts. It was only after 3-4 of these babies did the blood begin to flow back into Al’s face. In the end, Al made it safely home to his lovely wife with a whole slew of stories to tell his golfing buddies.

The moral of this story is as follows: If anyone comes to Singapore and is asked to go to a Karaoke Bar for a few drinks and some laughs, please call Al before you say yes. This quick phone call (1-800-dorfwad) will save you from being traumatized by the subtle differences between a Singapore karaoke bar and an Illinois karaoke bar….and will allow Jana and me to make a living.

My name is Happy, and my friend’s name is Jana. Next time one of you boys comes to town, call us -- we'll show you a fun time at a real karaoke bar!

MacRitchie Reservoir and a Monkey Death March

MacRitchie Reservoir

So, let's see... where'd I leave off? Oh yeah, the ever so sultry sounds of a Geeky's saxy serenade?


Let's move on... shall we?


I suggested that we go to MacRitchie Reservoir since I still hadn't been there after living here 3 years. I promised the guys that Mom, Dad, and Mary had seen LOTS of monkeys on their trek around the reservoir. I made certain that we had plenty of cold water and our cellphones to call for a taxi just in case we couldn't hail one.

The reservoir is beautiful, and jungle-y after the entrance. I was really excited about the prospect of seeing monkeys in the wild. Especially, since I had the WHH and the WH-BIL (Way-Hot Husband and Way-Hot Brother-in-Law) to protect me from the gangs of notoriously bad monkeys -- made bad by very stupid people who feed them!

The government has raised the fine from $250 to $500, yet STUPID people continue to feed the monkeys.


When we first entered the park, we saw people resting on the park benches. A couple asked us about the Presidential election and our feelings about GWB. We said, essentially, that he's an ass, and they most heartily agreed. Then, I think WH-BIL asked about the monkeys, and they replied, "Oh, well, you're too late. They only come out at feeding times in the mornings and evenings."

Oops! I got "the look", but I remained optimistic. We were going to see monkeys and we were going to have fun, dammit! (Didn't your parents say that to you on family outings?)

We walked along the water's edge for an interminable amount of time. I had to stop to wipe the perspiration from my eyes -- they burned! We all had some water to drink and we enjoyed the breeze wafting off the water. It was about then, that I thought to check to see what my pedometer reading was (you know, for my Virtual Walk), and it only showed 1.25km -- this most definitely did not sync with the signs posted! That's when I realized that my pedometer was a POS and I've been cheated for the last 3 weeks -- whatever.

We started back on our trek, and the guys were coming up with a new game-plan to get the hell out of the park. There weren't any damn monkeys, and they'd had enough exercise for the day. It was time for some cold beer.

Suddenly Skip noticed movement and turned back to tell us to be still...

Click to enlarge and be sure to look closely as monkeys are very good at camouflage

Did you see the monkeys?

We Had a Very SPECIAL Visitor!

Skip & Cheese Lobster at River Quay Seafood in Boat Quay

Remember those big-ass storms in the Midwest the week before last? Well, those stupid storms kept my favorite brother-in-law, Skip, from making his flight to Newark! Stupid storms. He was able to make it the next day, cutting his visit short by one day.

There's something you need to know... no matter how much my BIL is like his dad, he was not born a travellin' man! This is a big trip for anyone, but for someone who's not a "travellin' man"? Ummm, it's a very scary proposition!

However, he arrived safely from Singapore Airlines (he was impressed with the "care" bestowed upon passengers). Once he got to our place, we proceeded to ply him with several Stella Artois' and he ate the snacks that he 'stole' from SIA (HAH!)

He slept a while and then we took him out for a walk along Orchard Road. I'm not sure (I wasn't keeping notes -- he was), but I think we all needed a shower after that. GAH! It's humid here, but it's so good for the skin!

Mike & Skip at Ngee Ann City

We decided on dinner at our fav place, River Quay Seafood, in Boat Quay. As we were walking "The Gauntlet", we could hear drummers up ahead...

We watched and listened, and then we ate...



There's more to come, because I'm pretty sure I serenaded WHH and BIL for several hours one night with my broken saxophone! Yeah, we had quite a good time!

No, I Did Not Get the T-Shirt Dammit!

I haven't posted all week because I've been BUSY, so I'm just going to tell you now. Monday night we went to see The Police, and OMG they were amazing! Even though we were sitting at the side of the stage the seats were pretty damn close, close enough that Sting could see me gazing at his HOTNESS and smiled at ME because you know I'm cool and all.


OK, the quality of my video sucks, but it's better than nothing especially since I didn't get the damn t-shirt this time. Oh yeah, the dork in front of me drove me batty with his stupid hands in the air most of the concert! The nerve of some people, I tell ya!

The Times They Are A-changin'...

The WHH came to Singapore to work temporarily back in September 2004. By December, the MNC decided that he was the man for the job and offered him a 3-year contract starting January 1, 2005. To be honest, I freaked out at first. It was one thing for him to travel over here every 6 months or so, but live in Singapore? Then, there was the issue of our "stuff" and the house. There was no time to have a big garage sale and then sell the house. We gave a lot of stuff away, sold the cars to CarMax, put stuff in storage, and brought the rest with us (bad idea).

The original contract ended December 31, 2007, but it was extended until the end of 2008. The guy who'd hired him for this assignment retired earlier last year, so there was a new boss and a lot of changes. Then about a month ago, we learned that there were even more changes... BIG changes -- we will be repatriating in April (or thereabouts). He's fairly certain of his new position, but we don't know where that will be. A lot of things still need to be ironed out. Mainly the "where and when" of it all, but that will come in time.

I am ambivalent, yet again. I miss our boys and our family and friends terribly, and it'll be nice to at least be on the same continent (even though air travel in the U.S. sucks ASS and I cannot say enough bad things about it, really!).

Beyond being closer to family and friends... the only thing I'm looking forward to is the possibility of me going to TequilaCon '08! Yes kids, if Geeky Tai-Tai is going to be on U.S. soil, she is going to get herself to TequilaCon '08 come hell or high water! This year it is going to be in Philadelphia. I've never been to Philly, so this is another "learning opportunity" for me. Another cool thing? You don't even have to be a blogger to attend! So, my sisters and my BFF's can join me there for a fun-filled weekend in Philly. I have every confidence that they will do their very best to do that because they've missed their Geeky Tai-Tai so much! (heh).

A lot of other bloggers have decided that they will have a theme for the year. I've decided that I will focus more on what new American expats can expect (not that I know very much, but I have actually lived here). I've also been working on a couple of lists: the good and the bad things for Americans living in Singapore. I may wait to publish it until after I've repatriated :D

I also want to get input from my blogging friends about what to do with this blog once I've repatriated. I'm not a writer (where my blogging friends are), so the freebiness of Blogger is a good thing to me, and it's been mucho improved in the last year. I can link to my pics on Flickr; I'm not a photographer, either, although I did pay for the pro account because I wanted a second back-up for them. They are priceless memories to us.

So, "the times they are-a changin'" and I'm in a state of flux. Not that that's bad or anything.

PEE-ESS -- The Shangri-La's aircon system has lost another bearing or something. That sucker has been yelping and squealing all day long. I could tell that they tried to fix it, but the bearing probably needs to be replaced. I'll be hearing that all night long, only to wake up (if I can actually sleep) to more stupid-ass jack-hammers in the morning. Nighty-night! ;-)

Happy Twenty-Oh-Eight!

The sun has been shining in Singapore for the last few days and it has been WONDERFUL, and I'm over my pity-party. Yes, I miss my boys and my family, but I'm telling you, that sunshine does me a world of good! I just can't do 3 weeks of constant pouring down rain.

Remember Neil's, Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair? I couldn't talk about this before because I would've given away the surprise for Mom and Dad's Christmas. Anyway, I bought this painting from Kyra...



Isn't she beautiful? I just fell in love with her, and thought Mom and Dad would too since they have 6 beautiful daughters. Now, they're trying to figure the perfect spot to hang the painting and they want to get a light to highlight it. Thank you Neil and Kyra for the wonderful gift to my parents!

I got my WHH an iTouch for Christmas. He happened to have a $100 American Express gift card from last year. So, he used it to buy a bunch of tunes and of course the Umbrella video. He can't seem to get enough Rihanna (heh). He used up the money on the card and needed to register for iTunes again. Guess what? We have a Singapore address and there are no iTunes available for download here! WTH? If I'd known that, I think I would've held off buying this particular gift for him.

It's nice that he can copy our cd collection, though, so we won't have to mess with changing them all the time. Last night he connected it to our sound system in the living room and we got the dust off the speakers! Good times! I don't think we have neighbors above or below us and nobody complained that it was too loud.

We're listening to it now, and there seems to be a problem with the volume control. One song will be very loud, we turn it down, then the next song is too low. I guess I'll be calling Apple about it tomorrow.

For New Year's Eve we went to River Quay Seafood and had our usual favorites. Madam Irene is always so good to us. She gave us a bottle of Chardonnay too. How nice is that? We came home after dinner, listened to music, and I turned on the Stickam then kissed my WHH on camera at midnight and drank some champagne. What is it about champagne that seems to make me get goofier than usual? Still, it was a fun evening and a perfect start for 2008!

Happy New Year everyone!

Another Blonde Moment

A few months ago, I was over at Blonde Blogger's, and she was having a contest for the coolest aprons and cookbooks from Another Blonde Moment. I didn't win anything, so I decided to order myself the apron in the picture. I didn't get a confirmation about the order, so after a few weeks I emailed. I got an email response from Debbie, one of the owners, that yes, she'd received my order and would be shipping it soon.

A bit more time went by, and I still didn't have my apron. I decided to give Debbie a call. She has the most delightful Southern accent! She told me that she'd suffered a serious blonde moment. She was cutting up some foods and also sliced up her hand. She had to have surgery to repair it because she'd also sliced some nerves. I wasn't in a big rush for my apron and told her to wait until she was feeling better.

A couple of days ago I got a notice from SingPost that there was a parcel I needed to collect. When I got there, the queue was so long I almost had to stand outside. There were only 3 people working the counter. I spent a full hour just to collect my parcel!

Message to SingPost... Hire some more people to work those counters!

After I collected the box, I saw "Another Blonde Moment" on the return address, and I couldn't wait to open the package! I love getting packages in the mail, don't you?

Once I got the box open, I saw that she'd not only sent me the "Will Cook For Highlights" apron that I ordered, she also sent me a copy of each of her cookbooks: "Any Blonde Can Cook: Two Hundred 69 Ways To a Man's Heart", "How to MEAT a Blonde, Brunette or Redhead: A Dating & Cooking Guide", and "Any Blonde Can Do It!". These are the cleverest cookbooks I've ever seen! Oh! and she included some catalogs, and now I want to order some of the Blonde Floozies.
I just checked my order and saw that I only paid $7 for shipping and Debbie paid $37 to send all of these goodies to me! I owe you big time Debbie! Thank you so much.

I was going to put a picture up of me wearing my new apron, but something's wrong with my USB port again. It's either Windows (which wouldn't surprise me a bit) or a hardware issue. I've got some investigating to do. This has also messed up my "This is Today" thing on Flickr. Stupid USB port!

International American Thanksgiving

WHH carving Tommy under the watchful eye of Joerg

My scarcity around here has been due to planning and preparing for our International American Thanksgiving party and my compulsive Scrabulous-playing with friends and family online: Alex, Curisoity Killer, Jeremy, Kentucky Gurl, NYC Watchdog, Patrick (who had a damn good blog going and deleted it), Shelli, and Shyanne. I love that game, even though I mostly suck at it -- especially playing against KG and Jeremy! Damn, those two never cut me any slack, and it's making my stats look really bad.

We had our International American Thanksgiving Saturday. We called it that because we had African, American, Dutch, Filipino, German, and Romanian friends with us to share some Tommy Turkey and we're in Singapore. Some of our friends had never eaten a turkey fresh from the oven (bag), and I think most everyone liked it. You just can't go wrong using an oven bag for roasting a turkey. They cook in half the time -- even over-stuffed the way I do mine.

Cristina said that my dressing was the best I've made in the last three years. I thought it was good, but that's just me. The secret is: the sausage and my MIL's recipe (mother-in-law for all of you non-geeks). I got me some fresh spicy Italian from a Brazilian (there we go with the international thing, see?) butchery in Great World City, Espirito Santo. It's a small shop, but they were so nice and very helpful. The sausage was perfect -- spicy, but not so much so that it would do any gastrointestinal damage, if you know what I mean. I will definitely go back there again.

While my MIL is not renown for her culinary skills, she is the first person to actually show me how to roast a turkey. My mom will cook some meats, but there's no way she's going to even touch a raw turkey, let alone stuff that bad boy! LOL! If you're interested in trying the stuffing, you can get a 4 x 6 recipe card here (I must have my recipes on 4 x 6 card(s) and alphabetized in my special recipe box).

Seeing as how I grew up in a family of 8 and the fact that we have two sons, I've never really learned how to cook small amounts of anything. We had a lot of left-overs and sent some home with anybody who wanted some. I gave the guards some cherry tarts and an apple pie too. We packed a cooler full of food for the family of the drowning victim. The guards told me that the husband and the adult children were spending the entire day with her in the hospital -- not coming home until very late. I know I get tired of eating out or getting take-away. It was the only thing I could think of that might be of help to them.

We had a great time with everyone, but there wasn't much time to take pictures because we were hosting the party. Alex took this one of me and the one of my WHH and Joerg above.

We are very thankful for our family and friends... who are our chosen family!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I got a call this morning from the husband of the woman who drowned thanking me for the food. He said that a lot of people are coming and going from his place, and it really helped out. I felt good about that. Then, after a pause, he told me that she passed away Sunday, two weeks after the accident. May she rest in peace and bless her family and friends who loved her so much.

Please Sir, Can I Have Some More?

Saturday evening our friend, Bogdan, took Alex, Cristina, Catarina, the WHH, and me out for a Japanese dinner at Yakiniku Daidomon. Bogdan knows the place very well, but asked us before he ordered anything if we liked "everything". Meaning, did we like beef, fish, chicken, and seafood? We answered with a resounding, "Yes!"

This restaurant is one of those cook-it-yourself places. There's a small circular grill in the center of the table. Both the WHH and I were reminded of The Melting Pot in Alpharetta. Yes, of course, completely different cuisine, but you still get lots of raw food and cook it at your own table. I thought it was cool that we both thought of the same thing at the same time, OK?

A literal feast was gradually brought to the table. There was so much food we had to tell them to stop bringing it. Most was absolutely delicious, but there were a few "delicacies" I'd never tried before. Saturday evening, for the first time ever... you're just not going to believe this, well, maybe you will because most of you know that I'm a doofus, but damnit if I didn't eat me some steak tartare, kim chee, and RAW BEEF LIVER and I did not get sick or even make nasty faces (I don't think I did anyway).

I can honestly say that the steak tartare was a succulent treat, especially with the rice. The kim chee was hot and spicy, and I enjoyed it. I couldn't eat it every day as Koreans do, but it was nice. The marinated raw beef liver... while it did not taste or smell like beef liver, I didn't like the texture at all. It was just too slimey. I can say that I tried it, and "no thank you" in the future.

Now, if Alex offers me some of the delectable chicken liver pate that he makes, then I will say, "Please sir, can I have some more?" (that's for RW)

Speaking of food... my favorite New York City Watchdog has snacked over here at Geeky Tai-Tai's place a second time for his Sunday Smorgasbord! You really must go over to check out his personal blog as well as his fun Cerealwednesday.com website. NYCWD reviews every kind of cereal that General Mills, Kellogg's, Post, Kashi, or even obscure company's make (have you done a Kashi thing yet Dawg?) Anyway, last week The Queen Bee made two appearances for Honey Nut Cheerios. Yeah, yeah, yeah you don't need to remind me that I'm a 50-year old woman. I'm not blind yet and I know hawt, hawt, hawt when I see it. I don't think you'll want to miss The Queen Bee.

Get on outta hee-uh! Go on over to check Dawg's Cerealwednesday.com videos. They're fun, and he does make them instructional because he analyzes the labels (Jimmy and PeeDub, remember when I used to drag your sorry butts to the store and read labels? Buahahaha!)

Bullet'n

Jim, Michael, Patrick (my "boys)

• My WHH sent me all of the pics he took last weekend when he visited his family and our "bouncing baby boys" in Carlinville, IL. I miss everyone so-so much, especially my sons. No, they're not boys anymore, but still, they'll always be our "boys".
• The lady who drowned Sunday is still in a coma at Singapore General Hospital.
• I met some very nice people tonight at the Obama teleconference. There was a technical glitch, but it was still nice to meet everyone, eat, drink, and and talk a bit about politics -- or talk about how Americans don't talk politics. I think that will have to be another blog post (I promise no preaching about either side, though).
• My WHH will finally be home tomorrow. His flight arrives at 6:45 a.m.
• I have bowling at 9:30.
• I want to call Valerie and tell her that something has "come up", but I'm not a very good liar. That reminds me, you should check out Hilly's post from November 7. She's one of my "deep-thinker" friends. Actually, I have quite a few of them. I just let them deep-think for me ;-)
• I still might call Valerie to tell her I "can't" bowl this week.
• I am pretty sure that I hurt my Filipina friend's feelings this morning. She asked me about when our trouble sleeping started. Sheesh! It's been years. She was trying to be helpful, but when she told me that I needed to move my dressing mirror a few inches, I burst out laughing. I couldn't help it, but I think I really hurt her. I will apologize to her in person. Sometimes, I'm such a blurter-outer-of-things, when I should really be a deep-thinker-of-things.
• I'm still thinking I might have to call in sick tomorrow though.
• I miss my boys.

Bucaresti and Iasi, Romania

We arrived on time in Bucharest Saturday afternoon (that would be 10/13, yeah, I know I've been a real tai-tai after this trip) Alex's parents, Ana and Constantine, were waiting for us beyond the cordon. I saw Ana right off and we walked as quickly as we could to greet each other. She and I met 2+ years ago after Catarina was born. I don't speak a bit of Romanian, but she knows a few words in English. I did remember "Bunica" which means "Grandmother".

Ana greeted us with kisses and gave me a beautiful rose, a lovely porcelain rose covered dish and a hand-beaded egg. So pretty! She and Constantin were our guides at the Bucharest airport. They took us to the ticket counter where we needed to buy our ticket for Iasi, but it was closed. Our innate GPS systems took us to the bar where Constantin and Ana proceeded to purchase many Peroni beers for us. We "chatted" for over 2 hours -- neither couple actually able to speak the other's language.

Ana had pen and paper that she used to give us some lessons in the Romanian language. The most difficult word in that lesson was "multsumesc" (thank you). That "t" has one of those squiggly "s's" under it which means that it sounds like a double "z" for us in American English or like the "tse" in tse-tse fly.

The flight from Bucharest to Iasi is just about an hour long on one of those puddle-jumpers. The WHH took a pic out of the window of the countryside.

Cristina's mother, Claudia, Cristina, and Alex were waiting for us at the Iasi airport. Somehow we managed to pile all of our luggage and ourselves into Claudia's car. Fortunately, it was only a short drive to our hotel... you're not going to believe this, but it's called "Little Texas"! Some Texan decided he loved Iasi so much that he built a hotel. It's a really nice place, with clean, sparkling rooms. We had a small terrace too. We were very happy with our accommodations. Oh, and we got a full breakfast every morning as part of the deal.

Our first day in Iasi, the weather was crisp and quite windy... autumn! I'm glad I took my old fleece jacket with the hood. Cold wind always gives me an earache! It was such a beautiful change from Singapore though.

As it turns out, we were visiting Iasi at a very special time. People come to Iasi from all around the country for the St. Parascheva Celebration. We went to the central market area to shop for handmade Romanian things. The streets were lined with tents selling all kinds of handmade items, barbequed foods (where I saw my first gypsies), but it was so crowded that it was difficult to even get close to some of the displays. I found a website, Romania Through OUR Eyes, that has more pictures of the festival.

We had lunch at Bolta Rece, a restaurant built in 1864 that has arched ceilings and lots of ambience. I had pork, sausage, polenta with a fried egg and cheese. I don't remember what everyone else had, but I know there was a lot of food, and it was delicious. We needed a nap after that because later that evening we were going to Cristina's grandparents' for dinner, and then back out to watch the fireworks.

Let me tell you, Cristina's Bunica (everyone calls her Mama), is a tiny little thing, but can she cook! She had a table set up that was so large that it completely filled their living room. I regret that I didn't take my camera to get pictures. Alex's parents had taken the train that day from Bucharest along with Alex's two older children, Alexandra and Stefan, and they were there for dinner too. Mama, Claudia, and Cristina brought out dish after dish laden with food! Then Gabriel, Cristina's dad, brought out the wine. In Iasi, the favored wines are white wines. I can't remember the name of this one, but it was light and not too sweet. It went very nicely with all of the foods that Mama had prepared. I'm not sure if Mama ever actually ate anything because she was up and down so much. It was a delightful evening.

I think this is a good place for me to stop for now, but I'll finish it later because I don't want to forget anything.

Jet-lag and Other Stuff

When we first arrived in Iasi, Romania last week, I started a post, but I was too jet-lagged to finish it. Then, of course, we got busy visiting our friends and sight-seeing, and I was too tired. Now, we're back home, but I'm too tired and sleepy to try to back-track our holiday happenings.
I did, however, manage to buy groceries and replenish the beer supply with many flavors. I made us a pot roast, potatoes, and salad tonight, and it was while dining on this fine meal (hehe) that we talked... about all kinds of things because I have the attention-span of a... well, I can't think of it because I have a short attention-span.

ME: How's the meat? Is it tough? Because I cooked it slowly. Is it OK?

WHH: Yeah, it's good.

ME: Yeah? But you ate your salad faster than you ate the meat. That's a bad sign. Are you sure it's ok?

WHH: [Chuckle] Yes, it's good. It just tastes different.

ME: Oh, then it's the cut of the meat. It's not like it's a rib-roast. What did you eat for lunch today, something with green in it? At least your getting green veggies tonight.

WHH: I had chicken with mushroom soup, tuna sandwich, and some chips.

ME: Don't you get tired of eating the same thing every day?

WHH: They change the soups, so I get something different every day, and the ladies always fix me a special bag of chips.

ME: Oh, well, OK, so long as you get some veggies. So, I finally emailed myself the pictures that I took at the Goethe-diner in Frankfurt.

WHH: Hmmm.... hey, I heard a new Riahanna song today.

ME: Really? Girl-crush, girl-crush! Whoever the artistic director was of her "Umbrella" video should get an award.

WHH: [Smile] So, did you notice the guy with the Bad Monkey t-shirt when we were in the Frankfurt airport?

ME: Bad Monkey!!! and you didn't tell me? Was it Dave's Bad Monkey?

WHH: I don't know.

ME: Whaddya' mean you don't know! (I get my Bad Monkey t-shirt from the closet for him to double-check). Well, was it a Dave Bad Monkey?

WHH: Aw, hell, if you hadn't been ogling and secret-squirreling pictures of the waiter-dude you thought was so hot, this wouldn't be an issue.

ME: Uh, yeah, I guess you're right.

Here are the pictures of the hot waiter-dude at the Goethe-diner in Frankfurt Airport for your viewing pleasure...


PEE-ESS: Our sleep and poop-cycles are OFF, and that "cut" of beef is going through the WHH like "Grant took Richmond". Shit! Shit! Shit! (My grandmother's favorite expression, and mine too).