Sunshine on my Shoulders

Today I've decided to start making my happy list.  Here are things that bring an guaranteed smile to my face:

1.  Sunshine.  It really does make me happy and today I was downright giddy about it.
2.  Running or hiking trails in a forest.  There is a peace that comes over my soul each time I get out in the middle of nowhere.
3.  Facebook birthdays:  Have you experienced this?  It's awesome.  I really DO feel like a rock star on my birthday thanks to Mark Zuckerberg (and those other guys he robbed).
4.  Nut butters.  Shout out to George Washington Carver.  Sheer genius.
5.  Documentary films.  This is a totally underrated genre and Sir David Attenborough is the master.

Singapore Sling

My camera-shy Singaporian-local friend, Carla :) 

This past weekend I, along with my new friend Amber, had off Monday and Tuesday for Mid-Autumn Festival.  For us, that meant two days off work, so we flew to Singapore to visit my friend and former Holland colleague, Carla Abrams.  Carla and I arrived and left Holland the same year and now we are living the life in warmer climates.  I must say, I still am happy to have a little drip of sweat beading up somewhere on my body each day.  I am a summer girl.

Amber in front of the iconic Merlion.

Singapore is an interesting place, but not interesting in an typical Asian kind of way.  It's interesting mainly because it doesn't feel Asian.  Everyone speaks English, every aspect of it seems orderly and tidy and the vibe of the city is something not too distant from what you'd experience at a Disney theme park.  It's not that I don't like Disney theme parks but at the same time, it would be different to LIVE in Disney.


When I first arrived in Carla's apartment I was instantly wondering if I hadn't made a huge mistake by not taking a job there.  To say her place is gorgeous is an understatement.  She has amazingly high ceilings (I estimate four meters!) all is newly renovated and she has plenty of space.  She also has a huge infinity pool and gym on site and this all runs her under budget!  After some time to make my mental list, in the end, I'll have to say it was a toss up.  Each city and school has it's pros and cons and this place is no different.  It is a place to keep in mind...

Viewing the Singapore skyline inside the Singapore Sling

Since Carla has only been there as long as I've been in HK, we decided to be tourists.  We went on the Singapore Sling (their version of the London Eye Ferris wheel), a token hop on/off bus tour and to complete the trip, a boat tour.  Singapore was quite hazy this weekend and we were told it was due to burnings of forests in Malaysia.  That never gets easier to hear...  On the bus tour we were able to jump off and walk around a bit, most interestingly seeing Little India as it certainly did seem more ethnic and local, yet based off what I've been told about India, I know it was too clean and smelled too good to be completely accurate!  That night Carla had over a couple of new friends from her school (Singapore American School) and we went to listen to a band in that same area.  We would have stayed later but a guy, of whom the SNL skit of two wankers head jamming to "What is Love" was based, wouldn't leave us alone.  No amount of subtlety was soaking in, so I took all the skills I'd honed from my Dutch girl friends and let him have it.  I can only imagine that guy as a middle schooler.  What a nightmare.


Sunday was more of a lazy day but we were determined to still see a bit more of what Singapore had to offer.  After lunch and afternoon naps, Amber and I headed off to the Night Safari, which is a zoo dedicated to nocturnal animals.  It's such a great idea and a cool way to see animals who typically are hiding and sleeping under rocks during the day.  I must admit...these are my types of animals.  I love a good afternoon nap and am happily will stay up until wee hours in the morning.  My favorites were the slow loris and the fishing cat.

  

Little India--a very colorful place

Enjoying a Singapore Sling cocktail for "only" $12!

Monday morning Amber flew out but I stayed for a final day.  I joined Carla at SAS to check out the school a bit and to meet a few people that I'd met only via email months ago.  It's so interesting to see a place that you've heard so much about.  SAS is a great school but it also just seems like any other place...full of great things and still places to improve.  

I then went to the Singapore Zoo to continue my science fix for the weekend.  The zoo has a wonderful collection of primates, which are always my favorites to watch.  I always have mixed feelings about zoos but I do feel the primary focus of zoos has drastically changed throughout the years and they are doing their best to study and help populations as much in their natural habitat as in captivity.  There were many species of African and Asian monkeys that I'd never seen before beyond my couch dates with David Attenborough.  

After the zoo I completed my day at the Bukit Timah Reserve for some hiking and seeing Singapore as it was merely a century ago.  I followed a few regular trails and saw some monkeys, butterflies and many wonderful, huge trees.  Along the trail they would also have various informational plaques about local flora and fauna.  One reminded me what to do when coming close to a snake.  As you've learned about foreshadowing, of course that information did come in handy as while trotting down the trail I saw this beautiful blue and red snake.  It was thin and long with dark and light blue stripes down its body.  Both its head and tail were cherry red.  I moved back but then also got out my camera as it moved its way across the path.  Upon returning to Carla's house I looked it up.  Sure enough it was a highly venomous Malaysian Blue Coral Snake!  Eek! 

Here I am happily taking pictures of the cool, deadly snake!

Beginnings

After many thoughts of starting a blog, I have finally caved.  I thought it could be a time where I just share some of my day to day happenings with friends and family who'd like to hear a bit more about what I'm up to.  You might read this post today and think you've got better things to do with your time.  I get it.  It's not personal.

The idea of my blog motivation and title came as I walked out of the grocery store today.  In one moment I was loving everything about Hong Kong and then the second, not so much.  You never know from one second to another how I'll feel about something.  I've been called "fickle" a time or two before.  No matter where I live in the world there are always large pros and cons, as well as just general feelings about a place that change like the wind.  Today I'll start with what makes me happy about my new place.

Frogs.  Yep, frogs.  As I was hiking through the forest I saw a frog (or maybe a toad) stubbornly sitting on the pavement.  I've never seen a frog quite like this one and it's uniqueness made me happy.  I, like E.O. Wilson (have you seen how cute this guy is?) love and am amazed at the diversity on our planet and I really get excited when I see something new.  It stops me dead in my tracks.  And he (or probably she) could have cared less.  He was not intimidated by this large Caucasian for a second.  I even tried to nudge him a bit with my tennis shoes and he stood his ground.  I don't know what species it is, but I've just emailed the HK Herp society to find out.  I don't miss an opportunity to stop and look at what is around me.  So far I've seen wonderful spiders, graceful butterflies, beetles, ferns, flowering plants and all kinds of other good stuff.  Walking through that park each day simply is the icing on the cake of a great day working with amazing kids.