Yu Sheng

Today I participated in a Singaporean tradition of tossing raw fish. It's something that the Chinese do for Chinese New Year (only in Singapore and Malaysia...), and it includes carrots, watercress, cabbage and other shredded goods - seeds (not poppy, though - those are illegal here), plum sauce and others and raw fish. Basically it all starts off separated, and then you toss it together. I thought that tossing includes throwing it to the ceiling, but apparently you just pick some of the stuff up with chopsticks, raise it up and then drop it. It's a communal thing - everyone does it at the same time, and it is for prosperity (I really think everything is). One picture is before, one is after, and one is enjoying the Yu Sheng (I can't seem to get them in order or move them below the writing).

Dragons in the Wet Market

This morning, as per usual, I went to the wet market by our house (fruits, veggies, meat, fish, EVERYTHING!). The first exciting thing was that I found a store a friend had told me about that sells Eddie Bower and Lands End clothes (they're all made out here anyway...). I didn't find those, but I did find old navy shirts and some esprit stuff too. Didn't buy anything, but good to know about...

The second exciting thing was a noise I heard. I heard crazy banging on drums and cymbals. It sounded like a Chinese wake but then when I got closer I saw a huge dragon. Apparently you celebrate the Chinese New Year for two weeks (we still have one to go), and things keep popping up around Singapore. Basically, this dragon, that was made of two people and the decorated dragon costume, was dancing a beautiful dance with two cymbal men and one drum man (with sun glasses). Many people brought their kids to watch, and the dragon was dancing around two oranges (obviously) and a plate of lettuce and other objects that I couldn't identify. It ended up eating the oranges and moving around to dance in front of other stores. I would bet that it has something to do with prosperity - since everything does, but it was really cool!

I then saw a few set up temples in the courtyard of the HDB (Housing Development Board - public housing) complex that houses the wet market. Pretty neat stuff.

Twice in one night

It's not what you're thinking, grossy.

I fell down the stairs twice tonight. I was wearing cute little heels, and that's definitely why, but somehow I survived all day alone, and then when I was with Matt, I fell down the stairs. We went to a shabbat service and dinner with the progressive community, and we met a great new couple. Then, when we had to leave (in order to get home to the cat to make sure she doesn't eat and drink before her de-sexing surgery tomorrow), we walked down the stairs of the American Club, and Matt said, "hold onto me, I feel like you're going to fall down the stairs." HOW DID HE KNOW???

I made it down a whole story, and then fell. My phone hit a glass wall that was next to a group of people having dinner. That would be weird. (I was calling a taxi and not paying attention).

Then, we got dropped off at the bus stop across the street from our house, and we had to walk down the stairs. Matt told me to pay attention and stop talking, but I obviously find that hard - I kept thinking of things to say and forgetting to concentrate. Then I went down (Matt made me hold onto him this time too - thank goodness!). I almost took him down also, but we survived, and that one didn't hurt as much.


I think that someone told the kitty we're having her cut up tomorrow morning. She is acting awfully weird.

Shalom Chaverim

In nursery school I learned a song that went:

Shalom chaverim
Shalom chaverim

Shalom
Shalom

Lehitraot
Lehitraot

Shalom
Shalom

Means - Bye friends, bye friends, bye, bye. See you soon, See you soon. Bye, Bye.

It had a tune, but I can't sing it on my blog.

When Matt and I took Mandarin we learned the same song in Mandarin! I couldn't believe it.

It went like this:
June Iy Wan'an
June Iy Wan'an

And I forgot the rest.

I was going to write about it at some point, and I was reminded tonight when someone was playing it on their keyboard in their apartment in our complex. Pretty funny stuff.

Chinese New Year in Phuket!

After our Wednesday night Chinese New Year feast at our favorite restaurant (Indian) in Singapore, we woke up on Thursday and headed back to Thiland, after a short four weeks. We stayed in Kata Beach which is about 45 minutes from the airport and on the west side of Phuket island, which is in southern Thailand. Last time we were here we flew in and out of Phuket, and we had a short visit to the Phuket Town bus station, but we didn't stay in the area - we stayed in Krabi, which is about 2.5 hours east of there - and prettier, I think.

After finding our SIMPLE guest house, we got a great thai lunch (including such a great papaya salad and banana shake) and spent the afternoon on the beach (Kata beach on the left). Though Krabi is prettier, this beach was pretty damn beautiful. We read a lot and swam when we (I) got too sweaty.

Thursday morning we went on our dive trip. We basically dove, ate, and relaxed on the boat for two days. We dove SEVEN times, and ate at least that many meals. We stayed the night on Koh Phi Phi, which is supposed to be one of the prettiest islands in the world. I have to say that it WAS gorgeous - but only from far away. It was TOO built up and crazy when we actually got on the island.

The diving was amazing (picture is Matt on the dive boat). We saw two sea turtles - one was swimming and eating. We saw a few leopard sharks, and one just chilled on the ocean floor and let us get super close to him. We saw crazy lion fish...bearded scorpion fish (which I think are my favorite), shrimp, lobsters, jellyfish, nearly invisible squid and sooo many other fish. It was definitely my favorite dives. I got certified with my Advanced Open Water, and Matt and I basically had our own private instructor/guide for the whole trip. He was superb.

For my certification, I had to do five specific dives, so we did a wreck dive - a Japanese car carrier that sank in 1997 and had SO much life in it including a big fish sitting in a toilet!! We did a deep dive where we went down to 32 meters. We did a drift dive, a navigation dive, where I had to navigate a square with a compass, and a fish ID dive. I enjoyed the fish ID dive because I got to swim with a bunch of pictures of fish and coral and ID them as we went by. We saw nearly everything on the ID cards!!

Saturday night we walked to the other end of the beach and ate a great dinner. Sunday we spent the entire day on the beach and flew out at night.

One thing I didn't mention that was embedded in our whole trip is a tailor. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, in those parts, and they're always ready to make you any clothes that you want. Somehow, one convinced Matt to have some shirts and pants made, so we spent some time picking out fabric and styles. After the dive trip we went back to see how they fit, and the pants were like Pee Wee Herman pants - super up the crotch, ass and also really short. They looked cute if you want to laugh and not go to work. Before we left we went back to get the clothes, pay the final installment and take the clothes. We went to dinner, bought a magnum ice cream bar, went back to the guest house to get our stuff, hopped in a taxi, and we drove for a half hour before I realized that we didn't have Matt's clothes. Oy. Going to the airport and forgetting a bag of expensive clothes - these are two things that stress me out (being late and money). Though it was a busy holiday where everyone was going to this one wat (temple) RIGHT where we were driving, we got around the mess and found the clothes in the location of the magnum bar. We then SPED off to the airport and made it an hour before our flight. We stood in line at immigration for an hour and a half (thinking that we were missing our flight...since NO ONE made any announcements and there was no one to ask!), and we finally made it onto the plane and back home to Singapore, where nothing like that would ever happen.

By the way - we had bed bugs again.

Click here for all of our pictures from this trip (there aren't that many - I forgot to take pictures on the dive trip!).

The FOURTH New Year

We got here this summer, and we had the Jewish New Year.

We then had the fast of Ramadan which ended with the Muslim New Year. I have to say that this was the least celebrated of them all.

We celebrated another New Year in Thailand a short month ago.

Turns out we're going to Thailand again to celebrate yet a fourth New Year.

Today, when my colleague came into work, she said, "I hope you're happy, because it's Chinese New Year's Eve Eve!!" Tomorrow is Chinese New Year's Eve. Apparently Chinese families across Singapore (and most likely in China too...) will all gather as a family to have a big dinner. Then there is a two day public holiday. The first day (Thursday of this year), most people said that they will go to see their older family members. Apparently it's traditional to drive around to everyone's house and stop in with two oranges. The Cantonese word for orange is apparently similar to the word for gold, so it's as if you're giving them gold - for prosperity for the new year.

Then, on Friday it's either more family or visit friends. Apparently people have open houses and people can just drop by. I asked if the guests are expected to bring something, and they said that they just bring two oranges (but apparently the host gives them back to you when you leave - for prosperity - so you really only need two for the whole day). Also, all single people get red envelopes, ung pao, filled with money. They said that most people give a few dollars, but some people give a few thousand dollars, so apparently kids can make a killing if they're part of the right family. All married people are supposed to give these to kids - and sweets too.

Pretty good deal. I guess that everyone just eats a lot on their new year - other than westerners - we just drink.

Yongim, Matt's cousin's wife who was staying with us over the weekend (plus) was telling me about the new year in Korea, which is also right now. We can just call it the Lunar New Year...Anyway, they eat a special food - and Yongim said that you don't get a year older until you eat this food (but I forgot what it is...), and the kids bow and say respectful things to their elders, and you eat and stay with your family.

In our daily lives, we have cleaned up the house from the guests, and we are preparing to go to Thailand on Thursday.

Enjoy a couple of pictures from the weekend and the pizza for the new year.

Mangoes!!

There are a whole bunch of trees on Upper East Coast Road, leading to Siglap Centre, which is where we go to eat great food and get some groceries. It's about a 20 minute walk from our house. The trees have obviously been there since I got to Singapore (it's been 8 months!!), but today, on my walk, I noticed that they all had mangoes hanging from them!! I really love mangoes, and the fact that there are hundreds (thousands??) growing on our road it simply too exciting for me. When I got here it was mango season, and there were tons of different kinds of mangoes all over the place. That situation ended around September, and we have been almost mango-free. I think the time has returned, now that I'm in my fourth and final season in Singapore.

This season, which I suppose we could call spring, but I'm not sure if that's appropriate, is supposed to be the hottest. I honestly can't believe that, since June and July almost killed me, but apparently the rain stops and the sun just shines all day. I will miss the monsoons. We have become great friends.

Speaking of great friends - we have two major things going on this weekend (one is a bit larger than the other). Matt's cousins are staying with us. They have been touring Singapore - went to the zoo, the "beach," today they're in Chinatown...and we have enjoyed having them at our house. They're so sweet, and it's been neat learning a bit about life in Seoul. I really know very little about Korea. I also, apparently, know very little about one and a half year olds.

I do have to say, though, that Matt and I are sure that we are not ready to have kids. It just is so much work. Granted they have two, but still - when do they have time to just relax? The kids are so curious and interested...

For example, I was cutting pineapple, and I put the knife on the counter and walked to the garbage to throw out the inedible parts, and one of the little guys came walking towards me with the six inch butcher knife that I had put on the counter! My heart was pounding for another hour or so. Holy schnikes. Anyways - it just looks totally exhausting.

I think my favorite part so far is this super cute song that their mom sings when she's brushing their teeth. It's so cute, and they seem to love it. Then they give her a high five.

The other piece of our weekend, which is definitely not as big of a deal, is that the kitty has recently decided she likes to sleep on our bed - with and without us. She is sleeping there now, in fact. She likes to cuddle in bed too. She is very sweet, but I'm not ready for this kind of intimacy. She will get my love and then run away like her half sister, Splinter. I'm just too vulnerable to take part in this. Oy.

Some pictures from our weekend...