After our first 3 weeks, we became super busy moving into our new condo (BTW — locals use the term “shifting” when referring to someone “moving in”… IDK). And we love it! It’s in a large high-rise complex. We have wonderful views, several pools for lounging or laps, a gym, party houses, billiard and golf simulator rooms, and soon to have a mini-mart inside the complex. I cannot wait for people to come visit us, because pictures just do not do it justice.
Ahhh!!! SO HIGH UP! Comfy in her new home! 🙂 First Family Meal at our Neighborhood Hawker… LOL! And it’s food from the “Western food” stall.
This “toy” lasted all of 5 minutes. Baylie really loved it…In the first few weeks in our new condo, I tried to make our space more “homie”. Here are a few things I’ve done.
Self-made Puppy Potty Area with fake grass and my pretty Hibiscus 😀 LOL! I wish I caught the look on Baylie’s face when she first saw the Bully Puppy on her grass (didn’t have my phone on me). Outdoor lounge space (work in progress) 3 tall plants for privacy from neighbors’ balconyI really love our outdoor space so far. It’s one of my favorite places in our new home.
View from foyer. Free table/chairs in Dining Room, all other furniture are 2nd hand from (obsessive) shopping on Gumtree 🙂 2 Rugs are from iRugs Baylie loves the new Dining Room rug 🙂 Baylie loves the new sofa, too. (the previous one, I sold using Gumtree!) Love my new rug, sofa, and matching ottoman.
Looking back on our first few weeks in Singapore, I cannot believe all that we have accomplished and seen in such a short time. We had some incredible foods, found our condo, and met some wonderful new friends.
LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN! The “Three Amigos” and me. 🙂
Almost to Singapore, had a layover in Tokyo Narita Airport. Cody and me, and then the “tres amigos!” When we landed in Singapore we found this puppy! I love him! Can I keep him?! (Changi Airport) And we found these booze! All duty free at Changi Airport! But they do not seem to have Diet Coke, it’s Coke Light… NOT the same… Just to show all of you the price difference for alcohol… Here is a 6 pack example…
After landing in Singapore at around 2am local time on Feb 22 and a few hours of sleep we went to Holland Village and Orchard Road area for a little site-seeing before the boys had to work Monday morning.
On to our first adventure in SG! First Uber driver gave us a crash course in “Singlish.” Probably understood 70% of what she was saying during the 7min trip to Holland Village. Cody’s reaction before his first experience with Ramen (in Holland Village). He really loved it after all was said and done. And then we found these… at Cold Storage in Holland Village. Yep 10 strawberries for S$28.95… I found a 2nd puppy! YAY! (Orchard Road) And we caught some Chinese New Year celebration dances (outside of Sephora in the Ion Orchard)
MORE PUPPIES!!! (I really need to find out who this artist is and get me one of these). I love these puppies! They are everywhere! (Orchard)
After our initial site seeing adventure on Sunday the first week, for me, was a bit strange. Since I did not have a working cell phone outside our complex, I felt a bit trapped here. I learned that getting out of my “comfort zone” would require the use of technology and wifi. Each day, I became more and more brave and ventured further and further away from the temporary apartment we were staying in. During that time, I enjoyed the pool, went down the street to nearby shops and a 7 eleven, where I found a SIM card to help with communications and navigations away from the complex. For most Americans, changing out SIM cards on our cell phones is unheard of and a very foreign concept. But for those who travel frequently to nearby countries (each having their own cell phone companies), a SIM card proves to be very handy. At first, I chose a SIM card provided by a local cell phone company called Singtel. It worked great and served its purpose to get me comfortably and confidently out of the temporary apartment when I went out alone.
Cody, on the other hand, was busy at work learning the ins and outs of his new office. He was provided a cell phone by his company, so communications and navigation in our usual “tech savvy” way came easily for him. He and his two SS (the company he works for will be abbreviated “SS” from now on; in support of the local traditions of acronyms for everything) colleagues (together they shall be referred to as the “three amigos”
At the end of week one, we met up with our real estate agent and viewed many properties. We settled on and fell in love with one property. After settling on the specific area, we viewed many condos within the facility. So many spectacular options were presented to us. Which one to choose!?!?
In between and after condo viewings, ET (our amazing real estate agent) and her husband, RT, took us to some amazing places for breakfast/brunch, lunch, and dinners. They were beyond generous, kind, and amazing. We truly loved spending time with them. They are fabulous people. We really like our adopted Singapore parents. Did I mention how cool they are, too?? 🙂
The best sushi… ever! Japanese food at Watami (Raffles City Shopping Centre). First day I could see our girl! Baylie at Sembawang Animal Quarantine during visiting hours. Bars/Restaurants at Boat Quay (pronounced “Key”). We met a lot of new friends at The Red Dot Brewhouse bar after work. First Hawker Experience. Adam Road Outlet. Introduction to Nasi Lemak courtesy of SG parents R&E.
Cody = Sold when he found the Golf Simulator RoomS (there are two!) Contemplating living among the clouds… 🙂 New Years Celebration at The Star Vista (we will be very lucky after eating this meal) Moo Ka Ta Pre-Cookin’ Photo A family that cooks together, stays together! 🙂 Brunching it at The Missing PanThe second week was a week where we ate out and ventured on our own a lot. By the end of week 2, the “three amigos” and I had tried many variations of wonderful cuisines (in the varieties of Singaporean, Indian, Indonesian, Malay, Muslim, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese cuisines). To find those types of foods, we visited some local hawkers (AKA: “food courts” to my American friends), tried some restaurants, and honestly have not had a bad meal since we arrived. Although, we have not tried very hard to venture out of our comfort zones of variations of chicken, fish/seafood, pork, and beef (no fish heads or huge prawns, yet). After a stop to have Singapore Slings with friends at the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel (home of the original Singapore Slings), we visited The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, ate at their food court, and then ventured to the Gardens by the Bay. Literally, the coolest garden I have ever been to. Especially, since the Gardens were right next to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, you could get some amazing pictures there (especially during the times of the light show at the hotel). The Supertree Grove was by far my favorite during this quick trip to the Gardens by the Bay. I loved the movie Avatar, and being in the Garden at night definitely made me feel like I had entered the world of Pandora. Truly amazing!
Cody becoming more and more brave! YAY! Cody and Kristen Chilli Crab Family Night! Crabs three ways + more food! 🙂 So yummy! Me and food! G and food! SG Mom taking a picture of me taking a picture of her! LOL! Gotcha! CRABBIES!!! Sooooooo many crabs on the wall. Twinning! On to the Korean BBQ! WHAAAAAA????
Delicious Desert! Original Singapore Slings at Long Bar at Raffles Hotel Yummy Original Singapore Sling Mmmmm! Hotdog Juices! LOL! Downtown Singapore Skyline The crew at the Merlion and Marina Bay Sands Hotel Cody and Kristen
Pano Shot Thank goodness for the overcast making the outside tour tolerable Singapore Flyer in the background Light show Supertree Grove and Marina Bay Sands Hotel Supertree Grove Marina Bay Sands Hotel behind us
The third week we soaked up as much of SG as we could, because we were losing one of the “three amigos” at the end of the third week. 😦 We checked out the shopping a lot of people told us about, at a place called Mustafa. I could describe it as a HUGE department store that literally has EVERYTHING, and for reasonable prices. We visited at one of the busiest times (Saturday afternoon), and the boys did not have much patience for this, but they did come away with new clothing for decent prices. So, “YAY!” for them!
Just to show that KRISTEN WILL BE OKAY here in an Asian country. LOL! I sure do love my Oreos! WHAAAA?!?!??!! LOL! At the 1-Altitude Rooftop Bar I think this lighting is magical for us. At 1-Altitude Swagger at its finest Catching the Marina Bay Sands Hotel Light Show Cody and Kristen What’s a girl at the top of the world to do?! 😛For our final night before we lost one of the guys (he was traveling back to the states after only staying out here for 3 weeks), we went to 1-Altitude. Wow! Is all I can say about that place. There was a great band playing that night and we took in the rooftop 360-degree views. Luckily we got there as the sun was setting (highly recommended), and was able to get some amazing pictures.
These first three weeks have been eye-opening and I plan to share more with you real soon. 🙂
Cody’s reaction before his first experience with Ramen (in Holland Village). He really loved it after all was said and done.
After a stop to have Singapore Slings with friends at the 
Cody and Kristen 