Discovering Singapore.

I was lucky enough to travel to Singapore a couple of weeks ago and even luckier to have met up with Matt for a few days.  I would love to tell you about all the cultural stuff that we discovered in Singapore, but if I am being completely honest, we mostly ate, drank, and hung out by the pool.  However, we did our eating and drinking in different places around Singapore, so we were able to discover many fun parts.  The highlights include prawn mango curry in Little India, chili crabs in Clarke Quay, sunset cocktails at Marina Bay Sands, water slides on Sentosa Island (not food-related, but still fun), and Singapore Slings at the Raffles Hotel. 

Here is our trip through pictures.

  

 

 

 

A night at the movies.

One of the best things about living abroad is how seemingly ordinary things can turn out to be such exciting adventures – like going to the movie theater, for instance.  Sarah and I recently ventured out for dinner and a movie and were like kids in a candy shop (appropriate because there was actually a candy shop at the movie theater!)  People were staring at us because we kept squealing with delight at every new discovery.  Here is what we discovered...   

There are assigned seats.  We picked our seats when we ordered our tickets online before the movie.  This erases the need to have that awkward conversation where you end up telling people you are saving the entire row for your friends who never show up when they are supposed to.

We had dinner before the movie, but turns out there was no need because Japanese movie theaters offer everything that you can think of – beer, wine, churros, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, french fries, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, and popcorn.

Speaking of popcorn, they have caramel!  They even offer a popcorn bucket that is split down the middle so that you can get half butter popcorn, half caramel.  This blew my mind in the best possible way.

Movie candy is on a whole new level.  There are self-serve candy shops where you can find anything your little heart desires – oreos, gummy worms, jelly beans, pretzels, the list could go on and on.

They serve the food on these little trays that fit into your seat cup holder, so you don’t have to worry about reaching around in the dark to try and find your popcorn, inevitably touching a million mysterious sticky items on your search.

It was such a cool and unique experience.  I can promise you that it won’t be long until I’m again sitting in my assigned seat, eating my caramel butter popcorn, and thinking about how lucky I am to be doing something as simple as watching a movie in Japan.

PS – I’m still working on Singapore pictures.  I will post this week!

Life at this moment.

I just returned from Singapore and am working on pictures to post for you, but I saw something fun on a blog that I read and thought it would be a good way to give you a little update on life right now.

Cooking: ramen and gyoza (more like heating up rather than cooking)

Drinking: water, water, and more water (with a little mint).  Summer in Japan is upon us and it is starting to feel a bit miserable.

Reading: four books (I live by the motto that life is too short to read just one book), but the one that I can't seem to put down is this one.  It almost makes me wish I had been a nanny, but then I remember that I was a horrible babysitter.  

Wanting: these boots for the upcoming typhoon season, also necessary for killing roaches

Looking: forward to Matt coming home (whenever that might be)

Playing: continuous Avett Brothers on iTunes radio.  I'm am also currently obsessed with this song.

Enjoying: lazy mornings with Sadie.  My favorite time of the day is our morning walk and the bit after when I sit down with a cup of tea and play with my puppy.

Watching: Friday Night Lights.  It has taken me way too long to jump on this bandwagon, but now I finally get it and am obsessed.  Also, I am beyond ready for football season.

Loving: scrapbooking.  I have recommitted myself to catching up on scrapbooking and I love reliving all of the memories from the past couple of years.  In sad news, my beloved Creative Memories has shut down so I need to find a new place to print my scrapbooks.  Any suggestions?!

Smelling: basil scentsy scent.  It makes the house smell so fresh (which was especially necessary after my unplugged frig incident).

Noticing:  how quickly the rice is growing in the fields.  It is a thing of beauty.

Making: little strides on getting my latest pictures uploaded.  Here is a hint of what's to come...

PS.  Happy fourth of July!  We are celebrating here with parades, BBQs, and fireworks (and a lot of red, white, and blue).

PPS.  Stay safe you East Coasters!