CONGRATULATIONS...

Huge congratulations to Lauren and Ken on their engagement! I was super excited to hear their news last night! And even more excited when Lauren asked me to be her chief bridesmaid. I'm really disappointed obviously that I can't be there to congratulate you guys in person. But Tom, Rachel and I had a toast when we heard the news last night and will toast again this week whilst we're out!

Miss you two heaps...especially our X Factor nights with roast dinners! Lots of love to you both, can not wait to start planning the hen weekend! 

THIS WEEKS "MOST BIZARRE" AWARD GOES TO...

...the dried up lizard being sold in the shop around the corner from work...

Who in their right mind would eat this?! Claudio and I found it whilst we were on our way out to lunch yesterday. Just there. On the street, along with some weird looking animals legs with feet attached. The local guys in the office take us out to lunch most days and yesterday convinced us to try some of the local desserts.

These do not compare to apple crumble and custard at all! But were interesting to say the least. The top one, Tub Tim Krob, or locally known as Red Ruby is a dessert that originates from Thailand. The red balls are jelly with water chestnuts inside in coconut milk and syrup topped over crushed ice. Looks and sounds bizarre but was quite enjoyable. A weird taste sensation, biting into jelly and finding something so hard! The bottom one, Ais Kacang is also known as ABC for short. It's a sweet tasting ice served with sweet flavoured syrup and jelly. This variation had brown sugar over it so you can only imagine how sweet it was. The sauce you can see on top is condensed milk and yes, that's sweetcorn. One word...wrong! But, I decided that I would try everything at least once, but on this occasion I certainly didn't enjoy.


Lasts night dinner however was an amazing experience. Tom, Rachel and I went to Chinatown after a few drinks. We decided on "Steam Boat". A Chinese-style hotpot, eaten communally served in a massive bowl in the centre of the table. You get side dishes of raw meats, chicken, pork, beef, fish, squid, vegetables etc. You name it you can have it! Then they are the cooked by dipping them into the hotpot which is kept simmering at a boiling temperature. The soup after is at its tastiest after all the meats and vegetables have been cooked in it. We had a feast! Here's Tommy just as they served the hotpot!

SINGAPORE SLINGS...

I swore blind that I wouldn't drink another Singapore Sling after being violently sick at my leaving party but as I'm now in the city where the iconic drink originates I thought it would be rude not to. And as the boys asked me along I obviously said "yes" and found myself in the Long Bar of Raffles Hotel sipping away at my (very tasty) Singapore Sling, eating peanuts and throwing the shells on the floor. Yes, Jennie, this is another one of those moments when I really wish you were here with me. We finished off the night with a yummy Thai on Clarke Quay on the river and a few drinks in a MicroBrewery called The Pump Room. Although drinking on a Monday. Not the most intelligent thing I've done since I've been here. 

HOME SWEET HOME...WELL NEARLY!

So, I've finally managed to find somewhere to live. We had so many viewings on Saturday lasting from 9.30am until 5pm. I was shattered! And by the time we viewed the last place, I couldn't really remember what the first looked like. But, today we had our LOI accepted by the landlord so once the contracts are signed tomorrow I have a new home and will be moving in on the 16th October. Only two weeks to wait.


I'll give you a sneak peek of the pool...actually, no I won't! I know some of you have already seen some pics but I'll wait until I'm moved in properly to take some nice photos. River Place is a river-side condominium on the bank of the Singapore River near Clarke Quay. That might not mean anything to a lot of people, but, basically it's in a very "cool" location. You can stroll along the tree-lined river side promenade, cross over the footbridge and walk to the nearby shops. Not wanting to make you all jealous, the facilities include a swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, tennis courts, fitness stations, gym, putting green (how cool!) entertainment room, BBQ pits, foot reflexology path, fitness track and this is the absolute highlight...a kareoke room!!! I can not wait for those parties!


I'm so pleased that I have found somewhere live, and once I've moved in and I'm settled I'll feel like I've made a new home for myself. I really miss my flat and homely it was. Although this is completely on the other end of the scale to a two bed Victorian house in Windsor I hope that it will soon become "home" and I hope to be very happy there.

2010 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX...

So the Grand Prix finally arrived. The build up here was intense. Everywhere I went for the first couple of weeks SingTel were promoting and as I've never been to a Grand Prix before I wasn't really sure what to expect, well, apart from the noise obviously.

Friday night blew me away. The shear volume was incredible. And although you could buy a "survival pack" which included earplugs I thought it kind of defeated the object. I wanted to experience the sound and hear everything that was going on around me. As we arrived at the track, we were casually walking towards the bar. I heard a car and moved to my right to avoid being run over. I glanced to my left, and there she was, Missy Elliot, sat casually in the back of a car trying to get through the crowd. As you can imagine...I'm super excited at this point! A few beers in, we made our way over to the Pandang where the main concerts were taking place just in time to see Missy pop out of a box on stage. 

She's mad! Not only is she wearing a PVC/shellsuit number, it's black...she must be boiling. The temperature doesn't drop here at night. So whilst she's giving it her all on stage she must be sweating her b**bs off! She brought back so many memories from A Level/College years! I've never experienced a concert where the artist jumps off the stage and the into crowd, who literally parted instantly for her to perform "Work It" amongst her fans. Walking back to the track, I hear another horn, this time I turn to see two golf buggys. The first piled high with instrument cases. The second...Escala, the electric string quartet. Amazing.

Saturday proved equally as exciting as I got to catch up with Phil and Tom who'd arrived in Singapore the week before but had been off an adventure to Kuala Lumpar. I'd been out house hunting all day, so when I finally arrived I was in much need of a drink! The boys had seats in the Grandstand on the straight overlooking the bay stage so I went and joined them ready for the Qualifying rounds. To be honest I didn't really have a clue what was going on! I'm a total girl when it comes to F1 it seems. Ask me about cricket...I'm much more knowledgeable! Nevertheless, the evening was quality. It was so nice to see the lads and I was overwhelmed once again that I was sat, watching the Grand Prix in Singapore. I wouldn't swap this experience with anything else right now! Thank you to Tom and Phil for making me laugh until I cried...you've been great fun. My first visitors to my new home.

So, after all the hype, it's been and gone. But now I know what to expect for next year which I'm sure will be equally as enjoyable. I also managed to find somewhere to live this weekend, have a manicure and pedicure, and do some shopping on Orchard Road (again!) So, as you can imagine by Sunday I was shattered. 

282 METRES ABOVE SEA...

Last week Tom, Rachel and I met up with an old of Jennie's. Liam and his girlfriend, Arlene, had literally just arrived and as the F1 was approaching we decided to check out Altitude Bar for a view of the racetrack. The bar is 282 metres above sea level on top of Singapore's tallest building! Mum, you would hate it, but I will be taking you there when you come to visit, even if I have to blindfold you. The views can not be missed. It is the islands highest point and highest rooftop bar in the world. I was amazed. You can see the F1 track lit up extremely bright in the bottom picture.


The three storey building and colourful roofs that you can see in the top picture is the Marina Bay Sands Resort. It was only half way through being constructed the last time I was in Singapore but it's now nearly complete and is not only home to a 2,560 room hotel, but a casino, a convention-exhibition centre, a mall, an Art & Science museum, two theatres, six "celebrity chef" restaurants and two floating pavilions. Topped by a 340 metre long "Skypark" with a 150 metre infinity pool. Pretty impressive hey?! I'm yet to explore it, but hope to get up to the viewing platform soon for more amazing views across the city.

NIGHT SAFARI, FISH PEDICURE AND CHILLI CRAB...

My second week in work flew by and before I knew it Friday had come around again! With no real plans set in stone I kind of just went with the flow. Maybe a little bit too much on Friday night, after finishing work late and going for "one quick drink" with the work guys I ended up getting home at 3am Saturday morning after numerous jagerbombs and quite a few Martini's! 


As you can imagine I wasn't really in the mood to get up and queue for an hour at the bank to open an account...but needs must otherwise I won't get paid! I wasn't the only one suffering, as Tom and Rachel had also spent Friday night out, so we did lunch on Clarke Quay followed by a few hours relaxing (around the pool at Tom and Rachel's hotel) before we headed off to do the Night Safari.


I was disappointed I didn't do this when I last visited, so as you can imagine was like a small child when we arrived at the zoo! Although I'm not the world's greatest (domestic) animal lover, there are a few animals that I do love. Zebras, elephants and koalas especially! But I think I'm in the wrong country for the latter. 

The Night safari opens at 7.30pm and there are a thousand animals representing well over a hundred species - elephants, rhinos, giraffes and leopards, hyenas and otters! You have to take a 45 minute Jurassic Park-style tram ride to be able to see the whole grounds. I loved it! But my highlight had to be the "flying squirrel" that we stood watching and waiting for it to take flight for about 30 minutes! But it did...I would google it if you want to see what one looks like. Weird little creatures!

Two hours later and I was ready for my fish pedicure! 

Tom had already had a fish pedicure the last time he was here, so he sat this one out, but myself Claudio and Rachel got stuck in! In the wild these fish operate as cleaners, removing dead scales from larger river fish. It was such a weird feeling. A little bit like putting your feet into a mass of seaweed, but it's basically really tickly. The fish don't have teeth thank god, I can only imagine how painful it would be if they did. They were basically just hoovering my feet.

What better way to finish off the evening then by feasting on Chilli Crab at the a hawker centre. A dish created in 1950 where mud crabs are stir fried in a semi-thick, sweet and savoury tomato and chilli based sauce. We even got to pick which crab we wanted. So there he was, just chilling in a tank, we picked him and boom, the chef stir fried him. Ten minutes later we were all getting stuck into to what can only be described as the most delicious crab I have ever tasted, even if it is the messiest food I have ever eaten.

Another late night I was looking forward to having a lie in, but Tom and I decided that we were going to get up super early to queue, yes queue, for iPhones. So 8.30am Sunday morning, Tom and I were sat outside the SingTel shop waiting to see if we would be one of the lucky 50 people to get an iPhone! We were! 

The rest of the weekend was chilled and Rachel and I finished it off with a yummy dinner on Clarke Quay with another friend Jill. Hot Stones, a restaurant where you cook you're own steak, chicken or seafood on the table in front of you on Alpine rock heated to 200 degrees. So "Surf n Turf" with a few glasses of red wine and another weekend over. 


This weeks going to be a good one! The Grand Prix hits town on Friday. Tom and Phil are in Kuala Lumpur at the moment, due to arrive here on Thursday so looking forward to seeing them. I think the weekend ahead is going to eventful. I've got tickets for the race on Friday and Saturday so I'm expecting that to be fun! Sending lots of love across the ocean to everyone. Especially Jo, Regan and Lisa who all celebrated birthdays this weekend. Hope you all had fun! Wish I could have been there to celebrate with you. Until next time...

BANK HOLIDAY FUN...

My first week in Singapore turned out to be Bank Holiday week! A short working week. A long weekend! 
FRIDAY : I join Tom and Rachel after they have a long lie-in in an attempt to shake off they're jet-lag. We wonder through Little India, Singapore's answer to Delhi. The streets are crazy, with music pumping from speakers and the air permanently perfumed with incense, spices and jasmine garlands. Some of you will be glad to hear the weather isn't sunny all the time, despite it being 30 degrees, it's raining. We decide to head towards Chinatown to eat. There is so much to see as you wander along the streets here, every corner there is a new photo opportunity.

We finish off the night in a bar on Clarke Quay called Clinic. A unique concept the bar themed around the hospital with wheelchair-like seats and hospital bed-like sofas! Small tables shaped like paracetamol tablets where you drink from drips and the waiters and waitresses are dressed as doctors and nurses. Uber cool! The only thing not so cool are the prices. I'd heard alcohol was expensive before I left the UK so I wasn't too surprised when my Vodka Lemonade cost $18 (£9.50). I was more shocked that Tom's small coke was $8 (£4). Check out : www.theclinic.sg to see more.

SATURDAY : Another long lie in for me followed by some shopping on Orchard Road. Think Oxford Street. Think 5th Avenue. Think Champs-Elysees : this is a shopaholics heaven! I love it...and can not wait until payday so I can seriously shop til I drop (sorry mum it's got to be done!) Huge malls selling everything you could possibly imagine line the road. I meet Tom and Rach at a shopping centre called Ion. Set over eight levels, four above ground and four below. The retail space here totals 66,000 square metres. That's pretty impressive! An incredible food court with so much choice the hungriest of people would struggle to choose. The evening saw us sat watching the football. So after a few drinks, dinner at a restaurant that an Indian guy Saurabh in work had recommended called Dehli was on the cards. After enough Indian food to feed a small army all three of us commented that we had just eaten "the best Indian ever". 


SUNDAY : The hottest day since I've been here! The sun is beaming down. I head to Chinatown to meet the guys and take a look around The Red Dot Museum. Red Dot stands for belonging to the best in design and business. The museum is full of international design and highlights and promotes the importance of design for business and society. I was truly inspired.

What you can see above was an exhibition solely based on Tupperware! Did you know that there's a Tupperware Party held somewhere in the world every 2.2 seconds! Mad! I spend the evening down on Clarke Quay having a few drinks. Even though it's sunk in that I'm actually here I can't help but think it's all too good to be true still. I'm not sure what's on the cards for next weekend. Have got a lot of boring things to sort out, bank accounts, phone and more importantly somewhere to live. Hopefully by the time I next write I will have news on that front! But I'm sure at some point on the weekend I'll be doing something fun and exciting. I picked up my Employment Pass today which makes everything official in the eyes of the government. Yey!


There's a lot of things I miss this week. And there certainly are a lot of people I miss this week. But, I can honestly say that I've not had one day so far that I've regretted moving here. I can really see myself being happy and I'm really excited about welcoming friends and family to visit once I'm fully settled. 

CAKES...BUT NOT AS WE KNOW THEM!

During the Mid Autumn Festival Chinese people eat and exchange moon cakes (often made from sesame and lotus seeds and stuffed with red bean paste or even duck eggs) to honour the fall of the Mongol Empire - plotted so legend has it, by means of messages secreted in cakes. Another simpler explanation is that the cakes represent the full moon, at it's brightest at this time of year.

Whilst we were out and about this weekend we weren't brave enough to try Moon Cakes with duck eggs! But we did pick up three different flavours. Lotus, Yam and Green Tea. I can only describe these cakes (can I even call them cakes!?!) as interesting. Basically sweet stodge and as for three different flavours...they all tasted the same! How much am I missing mums Welsh Cakes right now? These things just do not compare!

NO BEES...NO HONEY, NO WORK...NO MONEY...

So you don't all think I'm here on a massive holiday I thought I'd better tell a little bit about work! The main reason I chose to come to Singapore afterall. I thought starting a new job in the same country was daunting enough, let alone relocating to a new place, and then starting a new job. I have never felt so anxious! I think it would have helped had I been able to get some sleep the night before I started but after a mammoth 12 hours the night before, I couldn't get any sleep before my first day :( The office is on Amoy Street, near Chinatown. It's easy to get to from where I'm staying, a ten minute cab ride, or a short walk and MRT ride. Or as I discovered during last week, a very long walk! 

Amoy Steet is pretty impressive...long terraces of shophouses flank the street with covered verandahs. Most of them have been renovated as you can see on the right hand side above. It's a bright vibrant street! Sian Chai Kang Temple is at one end which is open-fronted and incense sticks burn all day. Our office is being refurbished as we speak! There is dust everywhere! Now the whole team sits on the ground floor and all meeting rooms are upstairs.

This could not be further from 1HQ! There are only 25 of us altogether including Directors. The three guys who head up the agency Steve (Head of Strategy), Addison (CEO) and Richard (Creative Director) are all from the United Kingdom. I am the only other British full time employee. The rest are locals. My saving grace on my first day goes by the name of Claudio, a freelancer who is here for another two months and is ironically from Newport. A fellow Welshie! It seems we're taking over Singapore as Tom also works with two welsh guys at Design Bridge.

I'm glad in a way that on my first day I was expected to get stuck straight in...and I haven't stopped since! It's refreshing to work on new brands some of which I have never heard of. And today, corporate work for an engineering firm, different, but actually good fun! The locals who work there are really friendly and have been takin gme out every lunchtime to try new (and sometimes very strange) food. Amoy Food Centre at the end of the street has been described as the mother of all food centers. It is huge! Permanent stalls line wide corridors , with fixed stools and chairs, pretty much like a canteen, and absolutely rammed at lunchtime. 

I'd heard rumours that the team like to drink! So last Thursday was my first work night out. Our local is the complete opposite to The Crosses! I've exchanged £2.50 a pint lunchtime drinks for $15 a cocktail evening drinks. It's a wine bar just around the corner, where you can sit outside and chill in immense heat. I was shocked to hear the week before the bar bill had come to $2500 ... that's bout £1250! Thankfully this night didn't turn out as messy and after a few cocktails and a few Jeagers I went to meet Tom and Rach who had just landed. Such a great feeling to have hugs from close friends so far away from home. 

SINGAPORE SO FAR...

I'm finally here. Despite questionning several time whether I was doing the right thing! So thank you to everyone who calmed me down and made me realise that I'd be a fool not to get on the plane.

Despite all the sad goodbyes, my final memory from Heathrow airport was baby Immy smiling back at me as I waved goodbye to her and Jane. How could I possibly be sad? I'm starting a new adventure. Although I did cry, I'll admit that, there were plenty of tears in the build up to leaving, and even a few on the plane as I stared out of the window over London. 

12 hours and 45 minutes later I was in Changi Airport waiting for Richard my Creative Director to collect me. I'm staying in a district called Tiong Bahru that was built in the 1930s. It's one of the oldest housing estates in Singapore consisting of about 30 apartment blocks with a total of over 900 units! It's a massive three bedroom apartment and Solan who rents it is a Planner at Ogilvy, so a fellow creative, although I've not really seen her much yet! I've spent tonight in the apartment with Too-ke...the cat! 

So, Saturday, despite being super tired from the flight I was invited out for drinks, so I said "yes" and ended up at The Fullerton Hotel, which overlooks the Singapore River and was formerly the General Post Office...has to be the biggest Post Office I've ever been in!

Two Strawberry Mojitos and $50 dollars (£25) later and we moved onto a bar across the way called Overeasy where I met the guys from Design Bridge who Tom will be working with. Sat outside the bar overlooking the river, The Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Sands Resort (an amazing piece of architecture) I still couldn't really believe that I had arrived in Singapore. Come 2am I was shattered and as the heavens opened I made my way to catch a cab home! Some 12 hours later I woke up after a good nights sleep to an invite to a seafood dinner on the East Coast! Yes please!

Sunday lunch was substituted for Sambal Sotong (Squid in Red Chilli Sauce) and Swordfish with amazing Sayur (vegetables). Could not be more different to what I was eating the Sunday before back at mum and dad's, lamb roast dinner! I'll miss those for sure, but I'm loving trying all the local food. A stroll along the beach with my flip flops in my hand I have another "I can't really believe I'm here moment!" I wonder how many more of those I'll have over the next few months?!

I won't talk about work today. But two days in and so far so good. Yesterdays lunch was Jin Hua Fried Fish Soup from the food centre around the corner from work. The complete opposite of my usual lunchtime sandwich, but absolutely delicious!

I left tonight and decided to explore Chinatown (literally on the doorstep of the office) There's a night market that I strolled through, taking in all the wonderful smells and sights. Huge lanterns hang high above the street and there were lots of burning candles and incense and laying out food. I wasn't really sure what was going on. But I've just discovered that it is the end of Hungry Ghost Festival today. Sometimes called Yue Lan, the festival is held to appease the souls of the dead released from Purgatory during the thirty days of the seventh lunar month. Chinese street operas are held, which would explain the woman singing last night, and joss sticks, red candles and paper money are burnt.

It's approaching 10.30pm here now and I'm starting to feel tired. The heat seems to be taking it out of me slightly. Although I'm sure it won't be long until I'm fully adjusted. I finished my walk home with another soup dish for dinner. This time Pork Rib and Prawn Noodle Soup. Yummy!

 

So, four days in already and my "lost" feeling is getting less and less by the day. This is it. Reality. I am now living and working in Singapore. I hope everyone is well back home. As you all know I do miss you all, but will try and keep the blog up to date as often as I can so I can fill you all in on what's been going on. Rachel and Tom are due to arrive on Thursday evening and Friday is a Bank Holiday, so I'm sure there will be lots to report after the weekend!