108 Sun Salutations

Yesterday, my yoga studio hosted a donation class to raise money for a local charity.  We did 108 sun salutations!!  The number 108 has significance in a number of different religions and cultures, and I've read a few articles and blog posts about doing a practice of 108 sun salutations.  If you ever get the chance to do a class like this, I would highly recommend it!!

Do you see me??

The practice was led by two instructors alternating sets of sun salutations.  We did mostly sun As, but there were a few Bs and Cs mixed in too.  It took us almost two hours to complete all 108.  It was an incredible practice, and there a couple of really great moments where the whole group was flowing together with a chorus of inhales and exhales.  A lovely way to start a Saturday!

The rest of my week / weekend has been pretty typical.  I've been working with a local girl for the past couple of weeks, and our conversations about Singapore vs the US have been both hilarious and insightful.

On my heritage - 
Me: My parents are both from Taiwan.
Her: Oh!  I thought you might be mixed because your eyes are so huge.

On college admissions in the US - 
Me:  (Back when the SAT was still out of 1600), I would say that a 1400 is a pretty competitive score.
Her:  Oh really?  I think if a Singaporean got a 1400, you would definitely take it again.

On vocabulary-
Oatmeal (American) = Porridge (British)
Porridge (Singaporean) = Congee (American)

I bought a piece of this porridge soap and I love it!

Other random highlights of the week -

A co-worker from the US who is now living in Shanghai was in town.  We demolished some chili crab and a ton of little rolls together.

I had my first Bak Kwa since moving here.  Bak Kwa is sort of like beef jerky?  But way better and way unhealthier.  But it is a traditional Chinese New Year food, so I figured I should indulge.

I found wheatgrass in the grocery store!!  I put this in my morning smoothies for the week.  My smoothies had a grassy / herbaceous taste to them.  The taste didn't bother me, but wheatgrass did not keep me full in the mornings.

Random shot of the bridge I cross after getting off the bus on my way home

Udon and sushi - I absolutely love Japanese food!

I discovered a (new to me) cafe close to my house!  Stopped in for some reading and a treat :)

Some neighborhood exploration.  The area I live in is so close to so many great restaurants!

Also - a piece appeared in the Financial Times this week that I found incredibly thought-provoking.  It's about an American (Shane Todd) who died in Singapore last year.  I won't post a link, but I would encourage you guys to do some Google searching.  It's a fairly lengthy article, but its totally worth the read.  Let's just say that a certain country continues to appear (to me) to be a total mess.  The fact that the rest of the world seems to be so fascinated by said country really just makes me scratch my head.

Virtual coffee date

It's Sunday morning here in Singapore.. a bit overcast, and surprisingly mild today.  A perfect morning for a lazy cup of coffee!

If we were having coffee this morning, I'd tell you that we finished a big report this past Friday at work!!!  It feels good to have the first one behind me, but to be honest, it was a bit anti-climactic?  I guess I'm used to a cake and a happy hour, or at least the collective happiness of a larger group of people, but out here, it wasn't like that at all.  That said, the past few weeks at work have been beyond my most optimistic expectations.  Sure, there were some hiccups here and there, but I was honestly so prepared for the absolute worst, so the way things turned out were such an incredibly nice surprise.

I'd tell you that I spent my Valentine's Day at work (obviously), and then Stephanie and I went to Din Tai Fung for an impromptu dinner of dumplings!  I continue to be so thankful for the friends I have made here in Singapore.  The ex-pat community is honestly just so wonderful and welcoming.  I look back and think about how nervous I was that I would have no friends and wouldn't be able to meet people.. that could not have been more true!

I'd tell you that the world is, honestly, a lot smaller than we think it is.  And that is a good thing.

If we were having coffee this morning, I'd tell you that the weekend has been pretty low key for me.  After the whirlwind of Phuket and a short week at work, I'm a bit ready to just take it easy, so I haven't done a whole lot this weekend.  Dinner with a friend Friday, hot yoga and a housewarming barbecue on Saturday, and an easy run on a Sunday morning are all I've really done :)  But it's nice to just slow down for a minute sometimes and be lazy!

Speaking of yoga, I'd tell you that I am still on my hot yoga kick and loving it.  It has been wonderful, and I am so glad to be practicing again!!  I've always seemed to have some difficulty balancing yoga and running - I tend to go through phases of one or the other - but I'm really trying to do both and make it work.  Obviously, the answer is probably to work out more than twice a week haha :)

If we were having coffee this morning, I'd tell you that I am so excited for my home leave next month!  I've been working on my travel plans, as I'm sure most of you know, and I've been trying to think really hard about all the things I want to eat!!  I'm excited for Chick Fil A, Chipolte, Whole Foods, Publix, Chobani, Target, and a mall with stores that I actually want to shop in!!  Oh yeah - I'm excited about seeing all of you too :)  It will be a bit of a whirlwind, as I have quite a few cities to hit, but I can't wait.

If we were having coffee this morning, I'd tell you that, after a little over six months of living in Singapore, I love it here.  The things I feel that I've already learned are countless.  The people I've met have been amazing.  I've put more stamps in my passport in the past six months than I did in the past six years.  I've loved exploring the city and doing some things that are a bit outside my comfort zone.  The perspective I've gained from working out here, and with so many other cultures in the region, has been incredibly eye-opening.  I've become so much more appreciative of what a great country America is, and I'm thankful to not take that for granted.

If we were having coffee this morning, what would you tell me??

I went on vacation for three days in February and didn't bring my laptop

Hi friends.. it's been a while!  Lately, I've been posting mostly on the weekends because that is when I get a chance to catch up on things like blogging and pictures, but this past weekend, I was on vacation!  In the middle of February!  And I didn't take my laptop!  In what universe did I think that would happen??

One thing about Asia is that Chinese New Year basically trumps Christmas.  For those of you who don't know, Chinese New Year is not the same as regular new year, and I'm not going to bother explaining the holiday or any of the traditions to you.  You can Google it if you are curious.  Anyway, Saturday was the first day of CNY, and Monday and Tuesday were public holidays here in Singapore.  Four day weekend!!  Obviously, I was a bit skeptical about this so-called four day weekend, simply because of the time of year.  But I asked basically every single local that I know, and they all swore to me that they are real holidays that everyone (literally everyone) takes off.  So I booked a trip to Phuket!  Very hesitantly.  And only for three out of the four days.

But I have to tell you.. and I know I've mentioned this before.. so far at work, 2013 has been incredibly smooth (relatively, of course).  In fact.. I shut my computer on Friday evening, and I left it at home while I went on vacation in another country.  There is no way I would've believed that I would've been able to do that if you told me that even one month ago.  But I guess life has a way of surprising us huh?

Anyway, the trip to Phuket was great!  Beautiful beaches, lots of time to lounge, and fun times with friends.  Lots of pretty pictures to show you guys!!

We flew out on Saturday morning... it always amazes me how different the Singapore airport is from the other airports I fly to haha..

Our group had two separate flights into Phuket.  Some of us decided that the best way to kill time would be to stand in the arrival hall and drink beers from the mini-mart :)

Once we were all together, we headed to the Tesco to pick up some groceries for our villa..

Dairy Queen!  Small Blizzard for only 29 baht!

We did not buy any of this.

Nor did we buy any of this.  I have seen a lot of weird stuff in supermarkets, but I'm not too sure what this is...

Minced pork?  Minced beef?  Again.. not too sure...

Even though this was recognizable, we still didn't buy any of it!  Something about a free-for-all of meat is just not appealing to the former vegetarian in me..

 We bought (too much) breakfast food and (not enough) lunch stuff and then finally made it to our villa!  (For those who are curious.. FlipKey is a great resource for finding villa rentals.. the Bali villa and the Phuket villa were both FlipKey finds!)

View from our porch

Lounge chairs calling my name

View from the upstairs balcony

Spent a lot of time reading by the pool!

Also spent some time strolling along the beach...

We went and toured the Big Buddha..

They give you a skirt to wear if your shorts don't cover your knees.. its very fashionable

And of course, lots of delicious Thai food!!

Barbecue squid

Chicken satay and spring rolls

Pad Thai!

Banana milkshake

And of course!  A fresh coconut!

We got back to Singapore in the middle of the night Monday/Tuesday.  I did a little detox by going to hot yoga, and then spent the rest of the day catching up on life/work.  Today (Wednesday) was the first day back after the holiday, and I am so happy that it is a three day week!  Hope everyone is having a great week too!

Super Bowl Sunday/Monday

Hi friends - happy Super Bowl Sunday!  The game is actually happening on Monday morning for me.. kick off is at 7:30am haha.  One of the Americans I work with is from Baltimore, so that's who I'm rooting for.  I've picked out a purple blouse to wear to work tomorrow :)

I wanted to share something with you guys that I don't think I've talked about on the blog yet.  In Singapore, the most common place locals eat are at "hawker centers".  Basically, it is like a gigantic food court under a roof (so no A/C!) with a bunch of booths ("stalls") that you can choose from.  The food is fast and cheap, and there is always a ton of variety.

The inside of La Pau Sat - the hawker center near my office

It can be a bit of a cluster, especially during the traditional lunch work hour, because there are tons of people everywhere.  Lines for different stalls can get incredibly long, but they usually move pretty quickly.

Community seating - do you see the packet of tissues on that table?

It's all open seating - first come, first serve.  What you are supposed to do is find an open table, and then put a packet of tissues down (everyone carries tissues around) to save your seat.  Then you go order your food and your drink (these are sold at separate stalls), and then sit down with your friends and eat.  It sounds confusing, and to be honest, it kind of is!

Yummy Indian food!  This was S$6.

So, I bring up hawker centers because I think its kind of neat, but also because I don't really have much to blog about today haha.  Not too much to report on this week.  Work was relatively calm.  As I've mentioned before, I am incredibly shocked at how smooth this time of year has gone for me.  I was definitely expecting the worst, and while it hasn't been all roses, it has certainly exceeded my expectations thus far.  But I guess we haven't quite crossed the finish line yet, so I shouldn't be too excited!

Decided to walk home one night (instead of taking the bus).  What a view.

This is a horrible photo, but I took this at Starbucks near my office.  Has this rolled out in the US or is this an Asia-only offering?

I spent the weekend doing a whole lot of non-exciting things.  Friends, work, yoga, groceries, laundry, etc.  And I watched probably ten episodes of The West Wing - what a great show.  And no, I never watched it when it was on originally, so don't ruin it for me!

Look what I found in Singapore!!  For those who don't know, this is an artisan chocolate brand from Nashville :)