Hall-Reppens in Singapore: 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.