Party Time!!!

Despite my best efforts and my lists, the BBQ got off to a bit of a chaotic start on Saturday.  Rich and I brought 2 rolly carts over to the pit that we rented.  Then I went to find a security guard to unlock the grill, and cooler.  Then I left to get more stuff, and had Rich unpack the party fare.  By the time I brought the last of the food, I was quite sweaty, and guests were arriving.

Luckily, the guests had been well chosen.  Everybody was helpful, ready to meet new people, and easygoing.  Kjersten and Jay, the young couple that moved to our complex from Houston, Texas in January were the first to arrive.  Rich interrogated them about how they came to live and work in Singapore.  They brought me a lovely bottle of cabernet.  Maybe I'll save it to share with Erin during her visit.  Maybe I won't be able to wait.  The next to arrive was Ken, the son of the owner of Rich's firm.  He also lives in our complex, and frequently drives Rich home in the evening.  Because I knew he had a car, when he asked what he could bring, I asked for ice.  I had been making ice blocks and cubes for weeks, but I only had my little freezer, which had to house food, too.  I am so thankful for the bags of ice that he brought.  If I had tried to buy it, I would have 1/2 bags of ice, and 1/2 bags of water! Michelle, Ben, and their boys, Alex, Max, and Ollie, along with Michelle's helper, Lollie (sp?), came next.  Michelle brought her decadent potato salad, which was delicious, and wonderful little jello squares with heart-shaped strawberries on a graham cracker crust with cream cheese filling.  Yummy!!! They were followed quickly by my new elevator friend, Emma, and her husband, Jason, who was born in South Africa, and relocated to London, and their 2 beautiful daughters, Bella and Eden.  They brought some delightful barbecued chicken and pork.

Kjersten, Jay, and Ken, being very close in age, hit it off immediately.  Ken showed them his apartment, which was right down the way from the BBQ pit.  Kjersten told me that his mom is an interior decorator, and she does hotels and stores, etc.  I know that she decorated Rich's office.  The one time that I met her, she was quite busy decorating Rich's office for Chinese New Year.  She did a fantastic job!  Kjersten said that you could tell that his mom had decorated his apartment, as it had things that the usual 28-year old single man would not normally have.  Ken had to leave shortly after lunch, but I'm so glad he could come!  He was also a lifesaver, as I had brought napkins, but had forgotten to bring a roll of paper towels.  Jason had given the 14-month-old Eden a whole meatball, and it was too big for her mouth, so she projected it out.  Michelle had gotten a roll of paper towels from him to clean up the mess, and have on hand for future messes!

In the meantime, Michelle and Ben were giving Emma and Jason the lowdown on places to buy meats, schools in the area, and the best places to go for every need.  Michelle and Ben are like having our own concierge.  They are so helpful in telling us places that we need to visit, and places to avoid.  I was tickled that Michelle had learned something about Fort Canning Park from reading my blog.  The cost of the book about the Park was worth it!

After lunch, Emma took Eden for her nap, with a promise to be back in 1 1/2 hours.  Jason took Bella to the pool.  Unfortunately, Alex couldn't go into the pool, because he had gotten a huge abrasion on his backside during a luge run on Spring Break in Sentosa.  I had my suit on under my sundress, and really needed a dip, but was enjoying the company and my wine too much to leave.  I gave all the kids (including Kjersten and Jay) bubble swords, which they enjoyed for awhile.  Kjersten said that their dog, Buddy, would enjoy playing with the bubbles.  As Alex and Max were sending bubbles toward the pool, they saw Bella swimming with her naked Barbies, and had to go check the Barbies out.  Michelle is so lucky to have Lollie to keep an eye on the boys, and allow her to visit in peace, knowing that the boys were safe.  Lollie also escorted the kids up to the playground on the 11th floor, which they enjoyed for a while.

Max and Alex got the two Texans, Jay and Kjersten, to join them in Texas Hold-em.  They started playing using potato chips as chips.  Then, they needed to up their game, to show the seriousness of their bets, so a meatball became worth 10 chips, and a cookie was worth 10 meatballs.  It was so funny to watch!

Eden returned from her nap, and Ollie was enamored with her.  He kept asking her to come and play at his house.  Michelle said that it's so unusual for him to meet someone his age or younger, as so much of their lives revolve around the older boys' school and activities.  Ollie loves technology, and loves the iPhone.  When he sees an iPhone, his eyes light up, and he says, "What's your password?", as he hands you your phone to key it in.  I gave him my phone, and asked him to take some pictures of the people at the party.  He did a really good job!

Michelle's boys had Tae Kwon Dao at 6 PM, so they had to leave at around 4:30.  Before they left, Alex and Max sang a song for me that they had made up, and their mom said they couldn't sing until the minute they were leaving.  It was a cute song about my name, and I was touched!

The security guards at our complex are like policemen in a town that has no crime.  They kept coming back to us to remind us of the rules.  They didn't want us to use 2 coolers at first, as someone might need the 2nd one.  Then they came to remind us to clean up after ourselves.  Then they came to have me sign the sheet to show what I used.  Then they came to kick us out at 5 PM.  The grounds manager had led me to believe that we were the only ones using that pit that day, but they said there was another party at 6, so everybody scurried to clean up - except me!  I was showing our anniversary book to Bella, and hadn't heard the security guard's directive.  So, Bella and I were having a nice visit, while everybody else was behind us dumping things into bins to get us out of there.  When we finally finished the book, I looked around, and asked a very exasperated Rich if he had given people food to take home with them.  I quickly found baggies, and gave people the food that they desired, as dinnertime was quickly approaching.  Unfortunately, I forgot to give people buns to go along with their burgers, brats, or hot dogs.  My mom would be so disappointed!

Here are my learning experiences for my next BBQ.  Always bring a roll of paper towels.  Bagel chips with cream cheese, and meatballs from IKEA are good appetizers; prawns in their shells with heads on are not.  The burger from Tiong Bahru Market is very lean, and needs something to make it slide on the grill.  I should try to buy multiple bags of mini flower cookies with pastel icing dollops from the Chinese  bakery at Tiong Bahru market, as they are the children's favorite!  Next time, I should put less beer in the coolers, and leave more room for yummy treats.  We should head over to the BBQ area more than 1/2 hour early, as everything takes longer than expected.  Also, if possible, Rich should be the hauler, and I should be the set-up person.  Finally, we should make sure that these guests are included in any future endeavors.  They made everything so easy and so fun!!!

p.s.  Make sure not to have to wake up at 4:30 AM the following day to watch MU stink up the court.

Kjersten and Jay.

Emma, Eden, Michelle, and Ollie.

Ken and Rich.

Ben and Emma.

A self-portrait of Ollie.

Ollie, showing us some TKD moves.

Deb, and her wine.

Ollie, with his protective covering.

Alex and Max, the card sharks. The tiny flower cookies are in the bag in front of them.

Jason and Bella.

Ollie's picture of Eden.

The Yummy Jello treats.

 

Getting Ready for a BBQ

Every summer since I was about 5 years old, my mom has hosted a 4th of July cookout.  And until very recently, her extended family had a family reunion during the first weekend of August.  These events have been the highlights of my mom's summer, especially after my dad passed away.  Starting in May, my mom would start preparing for the cookout.  She would ask me to come and help her in her garden. Later, we would get the patio furniture out, clean it off, and repaint it, if necessary.  She would start making and freezing the burgers, buying the charcoal, and lining up the cooks.  Then she would start making the phone calls to remind people to come and check on what they were bringing.  She would organize things as well as she could, and fret about the weather, and the people who were unable to attend.

This week, I found out that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  It seemed that every outing that I took revolved around getting things for our upcoming BBQ by the pool.  On Tuesday, I was either going to Chinatown, or going to the Japanese grocery store for Miller Lite.  Rich needed more cereal on Tuesday, so I opted for the Japanese grocery store.  I didn't want to go to the store too late in the week, because I had promised Kjersten and Jay that we would have Miller Lite at the BBQ.  Meidi-Ya is the only place where I've seen it, and it seems that they only have 2 cases, and it disappears by the weekend.  I would not break my promise!

When I left for the store, I heard thunder, but the clouds didn't look too dark, so I wasn't worried.  I went to the $2 store, and got a few things for the BBQ, including 8 huge bottles of Dasani Water.  In this heat and humidity, you can't have too much water.  I then went to the grocery store to get the beer, and a few other things.  Between the water and the beer, my cart was absolutely full!  When I left the building, it was raining lightly.  I was under an overhang, but I looked at windshield wipers and people coming from the street.  The rain didn't look too bad.  I opened my umbrella and left the protection of the building.  It seemed as if that was the time the skies just opened up!  I was walking as quickly as possible through the construction zone, trying to get under the bridge to get out of the pelting rain.  My whole back was soaked, and my flip flops were soaked through, making it very difficult to walk.  There was no traction for the shoes or my feet.  I waited under the bridge for about 10 minutes.  The rain abated enough that I could continue my trek home.

Wednesday, I concentrated on cleaning my apartment.  The BBQ was going to be at a covered BBQ pit by the pool, but people might come to our apartment before or after, so it better be clean and welcoming.  As I was taking my recycling down that afternoon, I met a woman in the elevator.  Her name was Emma, and she lived on the floor below me.  She was originally from Canada, but had come to Singapore from London 2 weeks ago.  She was the first person with whom I had a conversation in the elevator in the 8 weeks that I'd been in Singapore!  So, I invited her to the BBQ.  I figured she was new, too, and she would like to meet some new people and learn more about the area.

Thursday, I headed to Chinatown.  I didn't realize how close it was to our apartment.  It starts within a 5-minute walk from home, or less if you catch the lights.  There was a Fair Price supermarket there that was supposed to have the best prices around.  I had also seen a 30-pack of Tiger Beer advertised for $59.80, including a free soccer ball!  That would insure that I had enough beer.  The mall also had a Daiso $2 store.  I stopped in to look for some things.  Kjersten's dog, Buddy, was celebrating his 1st birthday on Saturday.  I picked out a few things for him, as well as some large containers for the cookies that I was making.  Unfortunately, I had my grocery court, and the store just seemed to be getting more and more crowded as I tried to make my way through it with my basket and my cart.  I ended up putting down the basket and walking out.

Fair Price did have good prices on many items.  I bought beer, wine, and buns for the party.  They did not have Johnsonville Brats or yellow mustard, though, so I would have to go back to Cold Storage or Meidi Ya for those things.

That afternoon, as it rained, I tried my hand at making cookies in my microwave.  It's actually a microwave/grill/convection oven, but I really haven't used it in that capacity, yet.  Rich had downloaded instructions of the Australian version of our oven, but it's not exactly the same.  Luckily, it did work like a regular oven, but you couldn't rely on the timer to tell you that the cookies were done.  After preheating, the timer would be set for 14 minutes, but that was too long.  I would usually start watching at around 10 minutes.  I only slightly burned one small batch.  If Erin's nose had been here, even that wouldn't have happened!

Friday was Good Friday, so Rich's office was closed.  So I took him to the Tiong Bahru Fresh Market for the first time.  In addition to the usual vegetables, eggs, fruit, coffee, fish, and meats, we also got some Chinese cookies.  I wasn't sure if Michelle's boys liked American cookies, so I wanted to have all the bases covered!  That afternoon, I continued to bake cookies.  Then I got the last few items from the store.  While Rich worked on taxes, I made a list of the things we would need to bring from our apartment to the BBQ pit.

All week long, I knew I was turning into my mom, as Rich tried to talk to me about things that happened at work, and all I wanted to talk about was our upcoming party!  Oh well, there are worse things that could happen...

My full cart and bags coming from the grocery store in the rain.

You can see how hard it's raining!

     

Going to Far East Plaza

On Monday, I ventured back to the shopping area on Orchard.  This time, I got off at the right bus stop, and got into the ION building without a hitch.  Once there, I went to Sephora for some beauty items and some nail polish.  My next stop was the Daiso $2 store.  They didn't have what I really wanted, and it was too crowded to browse, so I left.

My real destination was Far East Plaza.  There had been an article in Friday's paper about where women, who are larger than the average Asian woman, can find clothes to fit.  Sign me up!  One of the stores listed was called "Kaylene's" and it was in Far East Plaza.  I am very excited to say that I consulted my map, and was able to wind my way through the underground tunnels successfully!

When I arrived at Far East Plaza, it was obviously a mall that had seen better days.  But that made it fun, too.  I didn't have to worry about any clerks looking at my sweaty self and making me feel unworthy!  I bet you could spend hours in this mall, and still have more to discover.  Every level had at least one food vendor.  There were many, many nail places.  There were tailors and seamstresses everywhere.  There were tattoo parlors, and consignment shops.  It was just so much fun!

When I arrived at Kaylene's, it said it was open, but the door wouldn't budge.  I decided the clerk must have gone to lunch, so I browsed around the floor.  There was a jewelry store that was liquidating to move, so I stopped in.  They had a great variety of costume jewelry that I could see my daughters wearing, as well as some things for me, at great discounted prices.  I hope the girls like the things I got for them.

When I returned to Kaylene's, the clerk was back, and, yes, she was eating her lunch.  I told her that I was looking for tops, and she said that they wouldn't come in until the next week.  She gave me a card, and told me to check their facebook page.  I looked at some dresses before I left, but they weren't exactly what I had in mind.

Before I left the mall, I stopped at a pop-up shop on the first floor.  They had the types of shirts I was looking for!  I found a top, that will prove that I'm Rich's wife.  I also found 2 "Magic Tops".  The shop manager showed me how the top could be worn numerous ways.  I had gotten some little strappy tops when I found 10 tops to fit, and I think these tops will "magically" hide some of my flaws!

Before I returned home, I stopped at a CD shop, to try to find 2 CD's I had read about in the paper.  I did find a CD by a dear friend of mine, and also a CD by one of Joe's friends.  I resisted the urge to try the area's best gelato.  I figured I would be there again for that indulgence.  I wound my way back through the tunnels, and got to the subway - again without a hitch!

As I was walking home, a woman asked me foe directions.  She was staying at a nearby hotel that I know well.  I directed her and walked with her as far as my apartment complex.  I really wish I had taken her across the overpass to the bus stop that would have taken her to her hotel.  It would only be 2 stops, but she was Norway, and she was suffering from the heat as much as I do.  I told her that my husband's ancestors were from Norway, but unfortunately, I couldn't tell her where they were from.  I felt so stupid, and was sure that I was the only person in the family that couldn't name the place.  I am happy to report that wasn't true, as Rich couldn't say where they emigrated from, either!

A CD by my good friend, Bill Evans.

Drinks and Fruit on this level.

Dickie's work apparel.

Tattoo parlor in the background.

A CD by Joe's friend, McFly.

Lots of food vendors, and the pop-up shops on the first floor.  

Rich and I will be a matching pair!

One "Magic Shirt"...

...and the other "Magic Shirt">

 

Thwarted by Rain!

On Sunday, my whole day was geared toward going to the Botanic Garden.  When we had gone to the orchid sale, there was a banner advertising a Big/Swing Band Concert on Sunday from 5:30 'til 7 PM.  Going to Millennium Park in Chicago during the summer is one of my favorite pastimes.  Since Singapore is filled with parks, and it's summer all the time, I was really looking forward to bringing a bottle of wine, some beer for Rich, lots of water, and some cheese and crackers.  Rich and I had salads for lunch, and he went back to doing taxes.  I framed some pictures, and prepared dinner, so we could just throw it on the grill when we returned from the concert.  Rich LOVES to grill on Sunday evenings!

Just as I prepared to go take a shower at 3:30 PM, thunder started in the distance.  Looking out the windows, it looked as if the skies were about to open up.  We expected pelting rain at any moment.  As we didn't have a tarp to put beneath the blanket I had just bought that week for the concert, and a picnic in the rain isn't very much fun, we decided to forego the concert.  The sad thing is that we don't think that rain ever actually fell.  Oh, how I wished I had listened to Denise's advice.  (That's Michelle's sister.)  Just the day before, when I had told her about missing the concert at Gardens by the Bay, she had said, "You can't rely on Singapore weather.  It's going to rain every day.  You just have to put on your poncho, and do whatever you want to do!"  So, we are going to have to get ponchos, and go out, whether it be rain or shine!

The good news is that Rich got much further on our taxes, and we got some of our Salvation Army Art hung in our apartment.  Later, we did have time to use our hot tub, too, so it wasn't a total loss.  But I'll be ready next time!

These are the Old Singapore prints that I framed for the guest bedroom.  We need more "3M Command Hooks". 

My Chinese banner in the dining room...

...and my fan in the living room.

Saturday was a Day of Good - and Not-So-Good - Surprises.

Rich and I were planning a low-key day on Saturday.  Rich had a haircut appointment (thank goodness!), and we were going to the pool.  Right after lunch, I got a call from Michelle, however.  Her sister had booked a room for their parents at the "Marina Bay Sands Hotel".  Michelle wanted to know if I would like to come to see the hotel, and have some tea, and do a little sightseeing.  That sounded really fun, especially because I usually do all of my sightseeing alone.  It would be so fun having someone so knowledgeable taking me around.  I asked Rich if he minded, gave him jobs to do, and headed out to meet Michelle.

When I got to the car, I found out that she had intended for Rich to come along, too.  I immediately called him on his cell phone, texted him, and called him on the phone phone.  I got no response, which I found a little strange, but there was a traffic jam in front of our apartment, and the guards kept telling Michelle to move, so we left without him.

Michelle's husband, Ben, and the two older boys, Alex and Max, were at a Chinese writing workshop. Michelle told me that she was very unpopular for scheduling that workshop on the last day of Spring Break, but this teacher was supposed to be very helpful in the skills the boys would need to learn Chinese properly.  So it was just me, Michelle, and the always-delightful Ollie.

When we got to the hotel, Michelle's sister was just registering.  Because it was close to 3 PM, the registration area was quite busy.  Besides being a hotel, the Marina Bay Sands is also a casino.  Many people wanted to get settled into their rooms, so they could hit the casino!  We headed up to the bar and restaurant on the 57th floor, along with Michelle's sister, Denise, for some drinks and nibbles and a GREAT view of Singapore.

Ollie was a bit hungry, so Michelle ordered chicken nuggets, and an appetizer pizza.  The pizza came with chips, which Ollie loves, but he said these chips were too sour.  I tasted one, and it was a wasabi flavored chip.  I love wasabi!  Luckily, no one else in the group does, so I was forced to eat all the chips by myself.  Darn!  Michelle had some ginger ale, Ollie had water, Denise had a beer, and I had my first Singapore Sling since coming to Singapore.  It was tasty, but not worth the price!  Of course, all of their signature cocktails were $20, as you're paying for the view.  Denise saw people at the next table eating oysters, which she loves, so she ordered some for us, too.  They were very tasty!  When the check arrived, I offered to chip in, but Denise was using her points to pay for that wonderful experience.  How fun!!!

It was now time to get wristbands, and head into the pool area.  The pool is outdoors, on the 57th floor, with a glass wall, so it looks like you could just float off the edge of the world!  Fun and Scary at the same time!  Michelle explained that there is a ledge on the other side, so if you did go over, you wouldn't fall to your death.  Good to know!  Then Michelle, Denise, and Ollie walked me around the deck, showing me the sights of Singapore.  They showed me the new Financial District on reclaimed land, where my apartment is, the place where the Formula One Racing will place in September, the Ritz Carlton in which I stayed in 1998, etc.  It was so much fun, even though it was a bit overcast.  They told me that it costs $25 per person to come up to the top floor if you're not a hotel guest.  I was just reaping the benefits of having Michelle as a friend!!!

Michelle's boys' class ended at 6 PM, so we bid adieu to the Marina Bay Sands, and headed over to pick them up.  Denise had given me her wristband, so that I could bring Rich back up to the hotel that evening, and share some of the sights with him.  Michelle and Ben also offered to pick us up when they headed back to the hotel, after taking the boys to a birthday party.

When I returned to our apartment, I found Rich hard at work on taxes.  He had finished 2 of the kids' taxes, and 2 of our LLC's, but he still had a way to go.  I told him that Michelle had intended for him to come along, and I had called and texted his cell phone, as well as calling the home phone.  He then checked his phone, and saw the missed calls and the text, but didn't ever hear the home ring.  Upon further investigation, we found that I had 1 wrong digit in the number that I had saved in my contacts.  So, I've been giving the wrong home phone number to people for 7 weeks!!!

Because he was kind of tired from doing taxes, and he knew that he still had to work on them on Sunday, he wanted to stay in the area for dinner that night.  He wanted to try the little Italian place where I had eaten a pizza the previous week.

When we arrived at "da Mario Pizzeria", it was still a bit early, so it wasn't very crowded yet.  We were given a nice table for 2, which was marked "Reserved", but the waiter said that the people hadn't shown, so the table was ours.  We ordered a delightful salad that contained hot mushrooms, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes, as well as a cold lettuce salad with sun dried tomatoes and mozzarella.  I had a glass of red Italian wine, and Rich had a Perrone beer.  I ordered lasagna (as I have to try the lasagna at EVERY Italian restaurant, to find the best), and Rich ordered crabmeat raviolis, which were listed as slightly spicy.  At this point, the restaurant became quite busy.  Tables were turning over as soon as people left.  All available help was clearing tables, shifting tables, taking orders, bringing food, etc.  Our food came, and both dishes were very tasty.  I noticed, though, that we had never been given a basket of bread.  I thought that was odd, especially since they had given me a basket of bread when I ordered a pizza.  Who needs bread when they're eating pizza?  But when you're having a salad and saucy entrees, bread is nice.  I had drunk my whole glass of wine, and Rich had drunk most of his beer, and we had both finished our water.  We needed refills!  The head waitress came by, grabbed my wine glass, and said, "May I?"  I told her that would be delightful, thinking she was going to refill my glass.  That was not the case!  They must have run out of glasses, so she needed mine for another customer.  The fume was starting...  When we next got her attention, we asked for our check, and I asked her to wrap my leftover 1/2 of my lasagna.  All the Italian restaurants give such big portions, I usually cut my entree in half and save it for a future lunch.  Especially after all of my afternoon nibbles, I was sure to have leftovers.  It took awhile for her to return, which was troubling.  When she finally came back, she told me the kitchen help had thrown my leftover lasagna away.  She would be glad to give us a 50% discount on the lasagna, as I hadn't finished it.  Rich could see that I was pissed, so he took the discount, paid the check, and shooed me out of there before I exploded!

We headed down the river, to see some of the other places we could eat in the future, as I will not go back there!  We headed back to our apartment, grabbed some wine and some beer, and had a nightcap by the pool.   Because Rich knew that I was upset, he even indulged me by listening to a synopsis of the book I had just finished, Team of Rivals.  Rich finally got to meet Kjersten, as she and Buddy were returning from a walk.  I was very happy that Buddy was slobbering me with kisses, until I realized later that he was just kissing me because I was all salty from sweating!  Oh well, whatever it takes to get puppy kisses, as I miss my dogs so much...

Just as we returned to our apartment, we got a call from a very grouchy Erin.  We had tried to call her earlier, but had called after she went to bed.  The time difference really makes it difficult to communicate with our families and friends!  After talking to Erin for a little while, it was time for bed.  It wasn't until the next morning that I realized that neither of us had locked the apartment door, as Erin's call came just as we returned.  Luckily, no one ventured up to the 10th floor of Tower A2 looking for an unlocked door!

The "Gardens by the Bay"

The pool at the Marina Bay Sands.

I thought my Garden Club friends would like this simple, yet elegant, container.

Another picture of the pool.

The ArtScience Museum

The Floats, used for viewing different events.

The Singapore Flyer.

These are all the chargers used for all of Michelle's family's phones.  They all plug into one charging unit.  

The salad we ordered.

Rich's crab meat ravioli...

...and my lasagna.

The Sea Life sculpture in the middle of the ceiling.

Rich, in front of the bridge leading to our apartment complex.

Exploring Fort Canning Park

Princess Pond.

"Strangler Fig" roots growing down from a host tree.  The fig roots will eventually kill the host.

I spent last week exploring Fort Canning Park, the hidden gem in my backyard.  First, I perused my new book about the park, to get to know a little history, and see the layout.  The park is quite large, similar to Grant Park in Chicago.  But rather than going along the lakefront, it along the goes along the Singapore Riverfront.

On my first day of exploration, I headed to the entrance closest to our apartment.  At the time that Singapore was first settled, Malay royalty used to live at the top of the hill.  At that time, it was known as "Forbidden Park" because only royalty could use it.  There was a natural spring there, where the princesses would come to bathe - another reason to keep those lowly peasants out!  When I reached the park, I headed up 4 1/2 flights of stairs.  I checked the layout of the park, and headed for the "Princess Pond".  It's kind of overgrown now, but I can imagine princesses bathing in it long ago!  Unfortunately, it was a hot, humid afternoon, and I found out that the path along the lower part of the park was closed, because they are doing major construction on the reservoir in the park.  The only way to get to the other side of the park was to go up about another 9 flights of stairs to get to the higher pathway.   As I was already dripping, I decided to head to Liang Court to do some errands, and check on the arrival date for our bed.

On my second day of exploration, I took a bus to the other side of the park.  On this side, you can see the British influence of the park.  When the English ruled Singapore, the governor's mansion was at the top of the hill.  Later, as there were threats of invasion, a fort was built at the top of the hill.  It was named after Viscount Charles Canning, the first Viceroy of India.  When the fort was built, and the cannons were put in place, it was discovered that neighboring Pearl's Hill was 4 meters higher than Fort Canning, and when they shot the cannons, they went right into the hill.  Pearl's Hill had to be shaved off to the right height!

That day, I got to see a scaled down version of the spice garden that Stamford Raffles planted.  I also got to see an earlier archeological excavation.  I found the picnic area, and a wine bar, called "Flutes at the Fort".  Rich and I are going to have to check that place out.  I also looked into the Philatelic Museum.  It had an exhibit on rare "Star Wars" stamps.  But, because it costs $6, and Rich is the philatelist of the family, I decided to wait 'til I could go with him.

In the middle of that area, there is an open air theatre.  The fence around it was all closed off, and I could here sound checks going on.  I know that the Singapore Repertory Theatre is going to present "Othello" as its "Shakespeare in the Park" selection next month, so I thought they might be preparing for that.  However, when I awoke the next day, and looked at the newspaper, I saw that Paul Simon, Bonnie Raitt, and Jimmy Cliff were going to appear there that night.  The concert started at 6:30, and that is pretty early for Rich to get home on a weekday.  Still, it was Paul Simon!  I've loved him since my mom bought the album "Bridge over Troubled Water" in 1969!  Also, he hasn't been to Singapore in 20 years, and he only does 30 concerts a year now.  And it was a 5-minute bus ride!  The story said that tickets started at $70.  That was doable.  But when I looked into tickets, the high priced tickets were gone, as well as the $70 lawn seats.  The only thing left was General Admission for $165.  There was no way I could justify that to Rich!  Still, I am so mad at myself!!  If I had gone into the park from the front, I would have seen the box office.  The night that I was at the park, Robert Plant and the Tedeschi Truck Band were there, as part of the Timbre Rock & Roots Festival.  I am not a big Robert Plant or Led Zeppelin fan, (Travesty, I know!), but I am a big Susan Tedeschi fan.  I am so bummed that I missed those performances.  Gotta get onto the Fort Canning website, so I don't blow any future events!!

I thought this sign was interesting.

Great sign for a hopeless romantic!

Statue of girl leading grandfather to Chinese School.

"Gothic Gate"

Banner at Fort Canning Park.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Can you see his balloon shamrock hat?

His hat says "St. Patrick's Day - The Friendliest Day!"

A Singaporean waitress in Irish Flag makeup.  I had to have that tee shirt!

Rich, following the Green Shamrock Road...

We saw this snail on a building on our way home.  It was as big as my hand!

A Parade entry.

Sunday was St. Patrick's Day.  Rich and I putzed around in the morning, reading the newspaper, going to the pool, and listening to Irish music.  But the whole focus of the afternoon was on getting to "Boat Quay" for the Singapore St. Patrick's Day Parade.  As this was our first St. Patrick's Day in Singapore, we weren't sure what to expect.  There doesn't appear to be a large Irish contingent here.  We'd soon find out.

As we were preparing to leave for the parade, the skies opened up, as is typical in Singapore.  It was raining pretty heavily, and Rich wondered if we should go.  I told him we would!  Boat Quay is not too far from our apartment, but because it was hot, sticky, and raining, we took 2 buses to get there.

When we arrived, it appeared as if many other people had been procrastinating due to the weather, including many of the parade participants.  Rich said that it was not a problem, as few things in Singapore start on time.  As we headed to a viewing area, it was a strange sight to see Singaporeans in their kilts, playing bagpipes.

I asked a parade official what the parade route would be.  He showed me where it would go, and told me that it would end up in the pub area of "Boat Quay".  I dragged Rich in that direction.  He kept resisting me, until I told him that I had never seen him resist being led to drink a Guinness before.  Once he realized what I was doing, he followed happily.

Kids Jumping into the River Sculpture.

Rich, with Parade forming behind him, on the other side of the River.

Singaporean Bagpipe Band.

Bird Sculpture.

Rich, at front of Bird Sculpture, to give you an idea of its size.

2 Parade Participants in the pub.

The Singapore St. Patrick's Day Parade Founder.

A Parade Entry...

...and more Parade Participants.

We saw Bungee Swinging at Clarke Quay on our way home, after the Parade.

When we reached "Boat Quay", it felt as if we were on Western Avenue, awaiting the South Side Irish Parade.  However, there weren't as many people, there was no police presence, and all the drinking was being done in pubs. Rich and I each had a $10 Guinness.  A person came around the pub selling "Chips" in paper bags for $5.  At first we resisted, but we saw people at a nearby table enjoying their "Chips", and we gave in.  It turned out they were chips AND fish!  There were 3 little fish nuggets and tartar sauce with the chips.  Quite the bargain!   It was amazing to see all the people in their green.  The funniest sights were the obvious Singaporeans with their faces painted as the Irish flag.  I guess everybody's Irish on St. Paddy's Day, as everyone loves a party!

The parade was supposed to have 1200 participants, but I think there were less.  There was supposed to be a Down Syndrome Drum Group, but I didn't see them.  The rest of the parade reminded me of the early days of the South Side Irish Parade, when any family with an Irish name could get a group of people together and march or ride on a float.  I would venture to say a good time was had by all!