Hi all. I didn't mean to disappear, but you know - life happens. This past weekend was a great reminder of how great life is. There is so much to be thankful for these days! Here are some pictures from our lovely stay in Bali during Easter.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Off week
Hi guys, I didn't mean for it to be a quiet week on the blog, but this week ha just been a bit off for me overall. Good Friday is a public holiday in Singapore, so I'm spending the weekend in Bali. Here's to hoping that a few days away will help me snap out of it and get back to normal.
Happy Easter everyone!
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Singapore River Safari
Since Leslie was still in town this weekend, we had plans to do some tourist-y things on Saturday! Although, the day started out very gray and rainy, we braved it out to the zoo so that we could check out some pandas!!
As a public service announcement - the pandas are not actually at the zoo. They are part of the River Safari, which is a separate exhibit (and separate ticket!). We didn't know this when we turned up, but luckily, the ticket counter was very understanding when we came back five minutes after we had purchased our zoo tickets wanting to exchange them for River Safari tickets!
I didn't really know what to expect from the River Safari, other than pandas, but I feel like it was a cross between a zoo and an aquarium? With a short boat ride in the middle?
To be honest, most of the exhibits were not very impressive. We walked pretty quickly through the first stretch of them (after the Mississippi was the Nile.. which didn't seem like any sort of logical order) so that we could go and see the pandas!!
I was super happy to finally get to see the pandas. We took tons of photos and just stared at them for a while. They were both pretty happy to get photographed, and I thought they were both super cute.
After the pandas, we kept walking along the path until we got to the boat ride. It's a S$5 surcharge to ride the boat (which is a ten minute loop), but whatever.
As a public service announcement - the pandas are not actually at the zoo. They are part of the River Safari, which is a separate exhibit (and separate ticket!). We didn't know this when we turned up, but luckily, the ticket counter was very understanding when we came back five minutes after we had purchased our zoo tickets wanting to exchange them for River Safari tickets!
I didn't really know what to expect from the River Safari, other than pandas, but I feel like it was a cross between a zoo and an aquarium? With a short boat ride in the middle?
The first exhibit in the River Safari is the Mississippi River!
To be honest, most of the exhibits were not very impressive. We walked pretty quickly through the first stretch of them (after the Mississippi was the Nile.. which didn't seem like any sort of logical order) so that we could go and see the pandas!!
First up, we saw some red pandas snoozing.
Then we saw that it was feeding time for the giant pandas!
I love the pandas!!!!
I was super happy to finally get to see the pandas. We took tons of photos and just stared at them for a while. They were both pretty happy to get photographed, and I thought they were both super cute.
After the pandas, we kept walking along the path until we got to the boat ride. It's a S$5 surcharge to ride the boat (which is a ten minute loop), but whatever.
It actually reminds me a bit like a ride at Busch Gardens...
Flamingos
The boat ride was fine... but we didn't see a ton of animals or anything, so there wasn't too much exciting about it. But aside from the pandas, the highlight of the River Safari was seeing these manatees on our way out!!! It made me so happy to see them - reminded me of home!!!
Thursday, April 10, 2014
On Thursdays, we drink juice
Happy Thursday friends. I am nearing the end of my day, and I wanted to fill you all in on something I've been doing for the past few Thursdays.
Juice! You may recall that I did a three day cleanse earlier this year. Well, lately I've been doing something a bit less drastic. For the past three weeks, I've been doing a one day cleanse every Thursday. I get six juices delivered to my apartment on Wednesday night, and then I tote some juice to work on Thursday.
Just like the three day cleanse, I get four vegetable juices, a lighter juice (spicy lemonade!), and a "liquid dessert" of cashew milk with vanilla and cinnamon. The idea behind doing a one day cleanse is to do five days of healthy eating, one day of juice cleanse, and one day of cheat eating. Sounds pretty do-able right?
I know you're wondering why I'm doing this! There are tons of articles about why juice cleanses are effective, and there are equally as many articles about why they are bad for you. One of my co-workers asked me "does doing it for only one day really work?" To which I answered "well it depends on what you mean by work!"
For me, the best part of doing a juice cleanse is that it resets my body and appetite to focus on healthy, fresh foods. Very often in Singapore, I find myself eating foods that are covered in oil, salt, and MSG. So it's good to be reminded of how good it feels to eat healthy! I don't know how much I buy the notion that drinking nothing but juice will somehow rid your body of toxins and make your skin glow, but I know that I feel a lot better when I'm eating well, so I use juice cleansing to reset myself into eating better and thus, feeling better!
Singapore friends - I use Rejuicenate for my juice cleanses! The one day cleanse isn't advertised on their site, but the chef/owner is awesome and super flexible (and a friend of a friend). I just emailed to ask, and he let me pick my own customized one day cleanse containing my favorite juices. I would definitely recommend it if you are interested in trying a juice cleanse!
Juice! You may recall that I did a three day cleanse earlier this year. Well, lately I've been doing something a bit less drastic. For the past three weeks, I've been doing a one day cleanse every Thursday. I get six juices delivered to my apartment on Wednesday night, and then I tote some juice to work on Thursday.
Just like the three day cleanse, I get four vegetable juices, a lighter juice (spicy lemonade!), and a "liquid dessert" of cashew milk with vanilla and cinnamon. The idea behind doing a one day cleanse is to do five days of healthy eating, one day of juice cleanse, and one day of cheat eating. Sounds pretty do-able right?
I know you're wondering why I'm doing this! There are tons of articles about why juice cleanses are effective, and there are equally as many articles about why they are bad for you. One of my co-workers asked me "does doing it for only one day really work?" To which I answered "well it depends on what you mean by work!"
For me, the best part of doing a juice cleanse is that it resets my body and appetite to focus on healthy, fresh foods. Very often in Singapore, I find myself eating foods that are covered in oil, salt, and MSG. So it's good to be reminded of how good it feels to eat healthy! I don't know how much I buy the notion that drinking nothing but juice will somehow rid your body of toxins and make your skin glow, but I know that I feel a lot better when I'm eating well, so I use juice cleansing to reset myself into eating better and thus, feeling better!
Singapore friends - I use Rejuicenate for my juice cleanses! The one day cleanse isn't advertised on their site, but the chef/owner is awesome and super flexible (and a friend of a friend). I just emailed to ask, and he let me pick my own customized one day cleanse containing my favorite juices. I would definitely recommend it if you are interested in trying a juice cleanse!
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
The choices we make
Hi friends!
As I mentioned in my weekend recap, my friend Leslie is in town for a visit! Leslie and I were co-workers at my first job out of college, and we have stayed in touch ever since. She's the only friend that I've had come visit me in both Nashville and Singapore, so even though we don't see each other often, it is always fun to catch up.
One thing she mentioned over the weekend really got me thinking - she said something about how much I've changed and how people back at my old company are all surprised to hear about what I'm doing these days. It's funny, because obviously, I know that I am a lot different now than I was when I left college. My job is different, my lifestyle is different, and I live on a different continent.
Do you ever feel like you can pinpoint the tipping point in your life? Like, is there a critical juncture for you that basically shifted everything? I feel like I can point to an exact choice that I made that put me on this path. Of course the path continues on, and there are other forks in the road, so to speak. But it's weird to look back and think of that spot in your life that changed it all. And it's even weirder to look ahead and wonder if another spot like that is coming up?
As I mentioned in my weekend recap, my friend Leslie is in town for a visit! Leslie and I were co-workers at my first job out of college, and we have stayed in touch ever since. She's the only friend that I've had come visit me in both Nashville and Singapore, so even though we don't see each other often, it is always fun to catch up.
One thing she mentioned over the weekend really got me thinking - she said something about how much I've changed and how people back at my old company are all surprised to hear about what I'm doing these days. It's funny, because obviously, I know that I am a lot different now than I was when I left college. My job is different, my lifestyle is different, and I live on a different continent.
Do you ever feel like you can pinpoint the tipping point in your life? Like, is there a critical juncture for you that basically shifted everything? I feel like I can point to an exact choice that I made that put me on this path. Of course the path continues on, and there are other forks in the road, so to speak. But it's weird to look back and think of that spot in your life that changed it all. And it's even weirder to look ahead and wonder if another spot like that is coming up?
Sunday, April 6, 2014
All over
Hello all! How is everyone's weekend going? I've been randomly very busy this weekend - I'm playing host to a visiting friend!! She's in town for a few weeks, so we are definitely not in any rush to get around town, but we've actually managed to see quite a bit in just two days... especially considering that it was raining all day on Saturday!
Friday night after work, I met Leslie at her hotel and we caught up for a while before heading over to her inaugural experience at Din Tai Fung. Jet lag and a week of work settled in pretty quickly, so we called it an early night on Friday.
I had plans to go to back to Yin Yoga with a friend on Saturday morning, but it was pouring down rain! I actually was woken up by thunder early Saturday morning, and I remember thinking that I was happy that the rain would be over and done with by the time I was really ready to get up and get the day started. Not so much.. it ended up raining all day, which totally sucked. I usually just walk to yoga, but I was in no mood to walk for a mile in the rain, so I skipped class and just did my own workout at home before heading out with Leslie. I showed her how to get to her office on the train, and then we went for foot reflexology (!!) and Singapore Slings at the Long Bar.
Sunday morning was gorgeous, so I took the opportunity to go for a run!
Leslie and I ended up walking around and shopping for some cheap souvenirs in Chinatown before heading over to Orchard for some more sightseeing and lunch.
Sunday afternoon, I went to the St Regis hotel for one of my favorite things - high tea!! We were celebrating a friend's 30th birthday, and it was really lovely. A great selection of scones and sweets, and a fun group too! I just love going to high tea.
Friday night after work, I met Leslie at her hotel and we caught up for a while before heading over to her inaugural experience at Din Tai Fung. Jet lag and a week of work settled in pretty quickly, so we called it an early night on Friday.
So delicious.
I had plans to go to back to Yin Yoga with a friend on Saturday morning, but it was pouring down rain! I actually was woken up by thunder early Saturday morning, and I remember thinking that I was happy that the rain would be over and done with by the time I was really ready to get up and get the day started. Not so much.. it ended up raining all day, which totally sucked. I usually just walk to yoga, but I was in no mood to walk for a mile in the rain, so I skipped class and just did my own workout at home before heading out with Leslie. I showed her how to get to her office on the train, and then we went for foot reflexology (!!) and Singapore Slings at the Long Bar.
Sunday morning was gorgeous, so I took the opportunity to go for a run!
I just like these blooms
Leslie and I ended up walking around and shopping for some cheap souvenirs in Chinatown before heading over to Orchard for some more sightseeing and lunch.
We did the obligatory trip to the top of Marina Bay Sands for the sangria and the sights.
Sunday afternoon, I went to the St Regis hotel for one of my favorite things - high tea!! We were celebrating a friend's 30th birthday, and it was really lovely. A great selection of scones and sweets, and a fun group too! I just love going to high tea.
Dessert table!
Pumpkin soup, egg custard, quiche, and tea sandwiches
It's been quite the indulgent weekend, and I'm definitely happy to be relaxing on my sofa at home right now. The weekends always fly by way too quickly, and it definitely goes by much faster when you are busy! I'm sad that Monday is just around the corner, but hopefully this week is relatively quiet. Hope you are all are having a good weekend!
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Photo dump
Hey all - hope you're having a good week! Here are some random scenes from Singapore lately...
Do you see what I see?? Trash on the MRT!
I just find this to be funny for some reason - I don't think it's meant to be silly though...
Love this place!
Drunken prawns
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