Friends of Silver and Gold

The last couple of days have been very busy for us!  We've had a lot of fun, we've accomplished a lot of tasks and we've had a chance to visit with old and new friends.  

On Friday, we had our SiLabs (Scott's company) provided settling in service.  We had a guide, a car and a driver to take us around so that we can easily do our errands and see a bit of the different areas of Singapore.  

First, we went to a large shopping center called Plaza Singapura.  There, we were able to get my iphone (whoo hoo for me!!), visit the bank, get Lily's school shoes (black Mary Janes for daily wear and white sport shoes for PE), and a lunch box for Lily.  Great!  Now we are all ready for the first day of school.  Next we drove through the Marina Bay area.  It's where the theater is and the big Sands Casino and the Singapore Flyer.

Next, we headed out East towards the airport.  The East section of the city is not as populated as the center and heading North.  There is a little more space and you can get bigger homes.  However, the subway is not as convenient.  There are buses are good, but according to internet forums, it's best to own a car when you live out East.  We stopped at the Lagoon Food Center.  It's what is known here at a Hawker Center (we might call it a food court).  Each stand is privately owned.  You can get all kinds of food and it's very cheap.  Generally, cheaper than buying groceries and cooking for yourself.

We were right on the beach.  It was fun to see the ocean and boats, the kids played in the sand.  We were advised that this part of the beach/water is not good for swimming.  There are a lot of boats in the harbor and the water isn't so clean.

Next we took a drive through the Malay Village and then headed over to Serangoon Gardens.  Serangoon is the part of town where our new condo is, as well as Scott's work and the Ausi school.  Serangoon Gardens had a lovely little mall called My Village.  There was a Hawker stand called Yum Yum and grocery stores, even a McDonalds.

When we returned home, we were tired!  What a day.

Saturday was a busy day too!  Last week, on Facebook, I saw that a dear college friend of mine, Leslie was going to be in Singapore on business!  I messaged her and we made plans to meet up!  She was staying in a hotel off of Orchard Road.  This is a part of Singapore where there are a lot of foreigners.  We decided to meet up at 11:00 am on Saturday in a mall called the Forum.  

I hadn't seen Leslie since college (10 years!).  I can't believe it's been that long.  We ate lunch at California Pizza Kitchen (I know, not authentic, but it kept the kids happy!)  It was lovely to visit!  We then made plans for a girls night out!  We had afternoon plans and she had a business dinner, but after that, we could get together.  FUN!

At 4:00 pm we went over to a co-worker of Scott's house.  His name is Daniel and his wife is Stephanie. They also have a dog named Tofu!  We had a BBQ and the kids swam in the pool.  They have a great condo.  The food was fabulous!  Stephanie is a great cook.  Tofu was a big hit with the kids!  Tofu is a golden retriever and loved playing with the kids.  We stayed a little later than we planned, so we got a taxi to come home.  Scott just sent a text message for a taxi and within 3 minutes, a taxi was there to pick us up.  Amazingly easy!

We put the kids to bed, and then I got ready to go out with Leslie!  She and I headed out about 9:30 pm.  We grabbed a bus right in front of my hotel and alighted at the Fullerton Hotel.  Our plan was to check out the casino at the Marina Bay Sands.

This is the view of the Flyer (on the left), the art center and the Marina Bay Sands from the Fullerton Hotel.

We walked around the Bay and in front of the Marina Bay Sands.  There was a lovely light show in the water on the Olympic Promenade.  We walked through the mall and eventually found the entrance to the casino.  The Sands Casino is free to foreigners but Singaporeans must pay $100 to enter.  We both brought our passports, so it was no problem to get in.  We walked around and checked out all of the areas before we decided to sit down at a couple of slot machines.

We each put in $10 and played!  At one point we had both gotten up over $100, but we were having fun pushing the buttons, so we didn't cash out.  Eventually, we both used up all of the money.  We were in it for the entertainment, not so much for the money.  It was exciting when the machines started ringing bells and making a lot of noise!

After that, we left and hailed a cab.  It took me back to my hotel and then Leslie continued on to hers.  It's funny to see an old friend half a world away!  I hope her business brings her back to Singapore soon!