There are several parks and beautiful areas in Singapore where it feels like you have gotten away from the hustle and bustle of city life. One of the walks we took was to MacRitchie Reservoir. It's a great place for running, kayaking or hiking. The lake is surrounded by a rain forest and plant and animal life are interesting. I saw a monkey, but he ran off before I could get a picture (I want to clarify that the picture on the right is not the monkey).
The walk around the lake is about 10km but we only went part way. Amanda keeps me walking daily and sometimes I have a hard time keeping up. After our walks I have to do yoga just to get the stiffness out of my joints. Meanwhile, she's busy writing out a grocery list so we can walk to the store to buy groceries (which is another kilometer). I'm not complaining. I've actually lost 1-1/2kg (yeh)!
We've been window shopping several times and my observations confirm that this is one of the Singaporians favorite pastimes. I would have to say that Singapore is the mall capitol of the world. Everyday, hundreds of people roam the malls, not really to buy anything. After all, how many Gucci bags, Dior originals, Tiffany necklaces or Cartier watches can one person own. My theory is that they go to these malls just to keep cool. 
They are all air conditioned and they all connect via the underground tunnels and the MRT (the subway system). If you know your way around, you could start early in the morning and not surface until the sun goes down. The malls are first class and each one tries to out due the last in the architecture. No Targets or Walmarts here.
They are all air conditioned and they all connect via the underground tunnels and the MRT (the subway system). If you know your way around, you could start early in the morning and not surface until the sun goes down. The malls are first class and each one tries to out due the last in the architecture. No Targets or Walmarts here.Some of the moms from Amanda's class last year gave her a brunch baby shower so we spent a really nice morning at Jane's apartment (she's the blond with the short hair) and all the ladies played catch up with Amanda. I always feel so proud when I'm told how lucky they were to have her teaching their children and word around the mom's gossip circle is that Mr. Crowson is great and they hope he's still at OFS (Overseas Family School) when their kids are in 2nd grade. Excuse me for bragging, but it makes a mother-in-law proud.
The 2nd graders at OFS had a UN day where the kids dressed in their traditional costume and had a parade. Amanda and I went to see Trever and his class.
On Sunday afternoons Trever and some of his coworkers get together to play a game of kick ball at a nearby park.
They play every couple of weeks and its always the girls against the guys. Watching them play was funnier than watching the comedy channel. Kick ball has pretty much the same rules as baseball, but most of the players are from other countries (Holland, France, Australia), and haven't quite got the rules down yet. It's funny how adult men can turn into little boys when they get together. Of course the beer does to them what candy does to a baby ... makes them a bit hyperactive, but luckily there was only one serious injury and several very sore bodies the next day.
Yesterday was Amanda's due date. She had another appointment and everything still looks good. Last week the doctor suggested inducing on her due date, but Amanda didn't want this as long as she and the baby are doing fine. In Singapore, standard practice for doctors is to not let moms go over 5 days past the due date so the doctor wants to check her again on Thursday to make sure the placenta, fetal heart rate, etc. are still OK. If the baby is not here by this weekend, everyone is in agreement to start the induction process next Monday at midnight.
They play every couple of weeks and its always the girls against the guys. Watching them play was funnier than watching the comedy channel. Kick ball has pretty much the same rules as baseball, but most of the players are from other countries (Holland, France, Australia), and haven't quite got the rules down yet. It's funny how adult men can turn into little boys when they get together. Of course the beer does to them what candy does to a baby ... makes them a bit hyperactive, but luckily there was only one serious injury and several very sore bodies the next day.
Yesterday was Amanda's due date. She had another appointment and everything still looks good. Last week the doctor suggested inducing on her due date, but Amanda didn't want this as long as she and the baby are doing fine. In Singapore, standard practice for doctors is to not let moms go over 5 days past the due date so the doctor wants to check her again on Thursday to make sure the placenta, fetal heart rate, etc. are still OK. If the baby is not here by this weekend, everyone is in agreement to start the induction process next Monday at midnight. 
