FORMULA ONE 2011...

Last weekend was Formula One weekend. How quickly did that come around? My highlight this year was certainly Shakira on the Saturday night. One and a half hour of non-stop performing with a fantastic live band! She is one incredible dancer! Friday nights performer was Charice, a Filipino artist who rose to fame on YouTube and has appeared in Glee recently. Again, an incredible performer at the age of 19. 

Another exhausting weekend with lots happening. Jill and I made our way to Orchard Road on Saturday to pay a visit to the new H&M store that has recently opened! We even had to queue to get in! But it was worth the (very short) wait as H&M is definitely the shop I miss most from the UK! Amongst everything else we even managed to fit in Brunch at The Four Seasons on Sunday with Lee and his friends who were visiting from home. 

A quieter weekend ahead...I hope!

SCENARIO A...

Ten years ago, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a British court for crimes against music they didn't commit. These men and women promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Singapore underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as musicians of fortune. If you have a gig, if no one else can sing, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire ... The Scenario A Team. Tom and Rachel's next gig is on October 9th at The Prince of Wales, Boat Quay from 5pm! 

BEAUTIFUL BALI...

I have had the most relaxing weekend in Bali with Mikey. Landing late on Thursday night Mikey was there waiting to greet me at our resort. The Breezes Resort and Spa, Seminyak. After a few hours catching up (I can't believe it's been 7 months already since the last time we saw each other!) and a great nights sleep I woke up Friday morning and was blown away. Our room opens out onto a private deck which ends where the pool starts! Bliss!

Since the last time we saw each other in Singapore it seems Mikey and I have so much to chat about. We spend the morning chilling by the pool, sat in the pool at the bar and lounging by the pool in the sun. Just what I needed after a busy (shortish) week in work. As the day gets on we decide to go for a stroll to have a few drinks and dinner. Seminyak beach isn't the most amazing beach in terms of sand that I've ever seen but it is so vibrant and colourful! A perfect opportunity to take some nice shots! There are loads of children playing football and plenty of local women selling their handmade bracelets and jewellery. As I wander along the beach I find it hard to get my head around the fact that I am on a long weekend break...in Bali! Literally 2 hours 20 mins from Singapore. The same time it used to take me to drive from Windsor to Wales. Mad! 

We perch outside a bar that has a stage set up ready for what we hope is going to be some great live music. And that is exactly what we got. We literally spend the next 4 hours slumped on bean bags on the sand, watching the sunset and listening to live music. The sunset is beautiful. It's something I certainly don't see everyday in Singapore which makes it extra special. To eat, we decide to wander back towards the hotel where we stumble across a restaurant called Lucky Day. It was extremely busy but the host was happy to seat us, and we discovered later that actually we were sat amongst a wedding party. The food, a selection of both Western and Indonesian, is delicious. Local seasoned snapper wrapped in a banana leaf and served with rice and vegetables. Yummy. My highlight - the toilets.  This might sound like a bizarre thing to say, but they were incredible. Adorned with hundreds of frangipanis, the natural smell of flowers filled the room instead of normal toilet fresheners. A lovely touch! An earlyish night ready for our adventure to see the monkeys the following day!

Saturday we hired a driver to take us South of Seminyak to Uluwatu Temple. One of Bali's nine key temples. The entrance fee is Rp. 6,000 (approx. 50p) and you need to be dressed properly to enter, so Mikey and I are given purple sarongs to cover our legs. The temple is inhabited by a huge amount of monkeys. Very cheeky monkeys! You have to keep all your belongings very close to you as they will snatch anything off you including flip flops which you then have to exchange back for fruit. The monkeys certainly give the temple a lot of character and provide a lot of entertainment. I'm so glad that I invested in a long distance lens for my camera. I managed to get some great shots of the monkeys without having to get too close. I was ever so slightly scared to be honest! 

We ask the driver to recommend somewhere nice for us to have seafood for lunch and we head to Jimbaran, a fishing village with a white sand beach and seafood restaurants on the beach. We choose "Blue Marlin" and sit on the beach eating king prawns and red snapper. Bliss!

Back to the resort and another evening perched on bean bags on the beach listening to live music. A lie in on Sunday morning and a few hours in the sun by the pool before my flight home to Singapore at 5pm. Sad to say goodbye to Mikey but I am totally relaxed, and whilst I write this five days after coming back I still feel totally relaxed! Bali is a great place and I am already thinking about my next trip back there, possibly with Amanda when she visits in January. It was amazing to catch up with Mikey and create even more great memories. Am really looking forward to hearing about how the rest of his trip has been.

And for me...a quiet weekend this weekend. Afternoon tea with the girls tomorrow and a day of rugby on Sunday. The Welsh match is on at 11.30am on Sunday followed by the England game. Next weekend is Formula 1 weekend! So there is a lot of hype surrounding that at the moment. Last year was a fab weekend so hopefully this year will be equally as great. My next trip away will be to Penang in October followed by a trip to Sydney in November and then my trip home in December! My passport is certainly filling up fast!

IT'S HOLIDAY TIME AGAIN...

So tomorrow I am heading to Bali (which I have been desperate to explore since I came to Asia) to spend some time with Mikey! Watch this space for plenty of pictures. 

SAFRA SINGAPORE BAY RUN & ARMY HALF MARATHON

Congratulations to Victoria for completing the SAFRA Singapore Bay Run & Army Half Marathon this weekend! I know you have not been feeling 100% recently so it certainly was a great effort. Running 21km in this heat is not easy. I'm very proud of you! Well done! 

SWAN LAKE ON ICE...

This weekend has been rather busy celebrating three birthdays and welcoming Chris and Caroline to Singapore but yesterday Vic and I managed to fit in a visit to Marina Bay Sands theatre to see Swan Lake on Ice. Absolutely magical. The skating and dancing was beautifully choreographed and all performed on a small 15x15m rink. The show is visually stunning and the cast are incredible athletes and dancers. We saw some incredible feats -  with the dancers getting up to speeds of 20 miles an hour at some points. 

Paul Mansfield, the Production Manager of "Swan Lake on Ice", said: "We brought everything with us here from the UK, and we installed a full ice rink...We start by putting down five tonnes of crushed ice, which has been supplied locally. Then we have a person stay here overnight, all night, and every 15 minutes, they’ll spray the ice rink again so that each time, it slowly builds up a layer of ice, getting thicker and thicker, until it’s about 20cm thick. And then after that, it just needs to be maintained. Normally it takes three days to build a rink but here, the crew only has about 14 hours to do so in the lead up to the show. And when that is done, the 26 skaters are ready to wow the audience."

A YEAR AGO TODAY...

...I left the UK with no idea of what the year ahead had in store for me. It took me a lot of courage to make the move to Singapore and I never dreamt that I would be where I am today. One year later with absolutely no regrets I can honestly say that I have had an incredible time so far in Asia. Over the past year I have not only met an immense amount of people who have been so welcoming, but I have made some incredible friends. Jill and Victoria ... after living on my own for six years I never thought that flat-sharing was going to be such a great experience. Now known collectively as the RPG (River Palace Girls) the three of us have a great deal of fun! Many more memories to be made over the next year I'm sure of it! My work colleagues make every day such an enjoyable one and I thank Richard, Steve and Addison (and the rest of the team) for making me feel so welcome at Holmes and Marchant. They have made the last year of my career such a fantastic one! I look forward to what the year ahead has in store! I knew working in Asia was going to be a challenge, and every day is a learning curve, but I am loving every minute of it!

SEPTEMBER - ARRIVING IN SINGAPORE / FORMULA 1 / A VISIT FROM TOM AND PHIL

OCTOBER - MOVING INTO "THE PALACE" / THE BEDOK BALL

NOVEMBER - RUGBY 7'S WEEKEND / HOUSE WARMING

DECEMBER - A PRE-CHRISTMAS RPG CELEBRATION / CHRISTMAS IN THAILAND WITH TOM AND RACHEL

JANUARY - NEW YEAR WITH MIKEY / VISITING INDIA / ANZ BALL

FEBRUARY - CHINESE NEW YEAR / VISITING HOME AND CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS AGAIN / AN RPG ADVENTURE TO KUALA LUMPUR

MARCH - NICKS "IRONMAN" VISIT / PANCAKE PARTY AT THE PALACE / PINK CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH

APRIL - MUM AND DAD'S VISIT

MAY - SPENDING MY BIRTHDAY IN NEPAL AND FLYING OVER THE HIMILAYAYAS / MY BEACH RETREAT TO TIOMAN / DIM SUM BIRTHDAY BRUNCH / THRILLER LIVE / UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

JUNE - BEERFEST ASIA / KYLIE MINOGUE / BARE YOUR SOLE WALK / THE BOTANIC GARDENS

JULY - LITTLE INDIA'S LONGEST TABLE / VISITING MALACCA / VISITING HOME / LOUISE AND ANDREW'S WEDDING

AUGUST - WHITE COLLAR BOXING / ZOE'S BIRTHDAY BOAT / SINGAPORE NATIONAL DAY

SEPTEMBER - ROUNDING OFF THE YEAR IN BALI / CHRIS AND CAROLINE VISITING / SWAN LAKE ON ICE

So, a year over, just like that! I honestly can't quite get my head around how fast the last 12 months have gone. A massive thank you to everyone who has supported me through the highs and the (very few) lows I have had since I have been here, especially my fantastic parents for their non-stop encouragement...I really hope that I am making you proud! I'll never stop missing you! 

And as I go into my second year of my Asia adventure, I already have so many things to look forward to! Jennie's baby arrival, Christmas in Wales, another visit from mum and dad at Easter next year, Jo's baby arrival, Amanda visiting in January, a trip to Penang in October, Nicks next visit, Lauren and Ken's wedding, going to see Westlife, Formula 1, a Pink Ribbon Charity Walk, Carley and Regan stopping off, going to see Elton John, another Bedok Ball, Rugby 7's again...and many more adventures to new places...