Gifts, a Frenzy of Fish, but No Jumping Jacks!

Birthday gifts from Hapny and Sofie.

A slow week this was leading up to my birthday yesterday, May 30. What a great day that turned out to be! I had been told a package bearing a gift for me would be arriving from Aron. It had not yet arrived, so I was very surprised when Sofie came smiling into my room before breakfast yesterday bearing gifts! And, such nice gifts too: A small box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates (yummy!) and a small beaded clutch with padding perfect for storing/carrying my smartphone. (I haven't used my phone at all over here since I suspended my mobile service and bought a simple Nokia here with a local number mainly to stay in touch with Hapny.) Those gifts Hapny had brought with her when she left Papua in early April, which is impressive enough, but her thoughtfulness never really surprises me.

Another mall discovered Thursday.

The day before my birthday, we had gone on one of our exploratory shopping adventures to an MRT exit we had not visited two stops south of us at Somerset. Again, mind-blowing shopping venues (in size alone) with multi-level malls (plural). This time, I was thrilled to discover some small shops in a basement catering to tourists and others who covet unique handmade crafts and gifts. I was in heaven and it was tempting to buy beyond my means. The only thing that stopped me was cash only, no credit cards accepted by these artisan vendors. I could not resist a couple of vendors, including one that sold intricate paper cutout art called kirigami. They were greeting cards that when opened displayed a beautiful pop up design.

Kirigami gift card from Hapny.

I had to have one, which is when sweet Hapny stepped up and insisted on buying my favorite as a gift! How sweet is that?  It opens to display a 4" tall vase of flowers. I have it open and sitting on top of the lampshade next to my bed where I can safely enjoy it especially when the lamp is on. The last gift Sofie brought me was a small box. In it was a pair of flower earrings that perfectly complimented an outfit I had bought here. Hapny purchased them from one of the craft vendors Thursday when I wasn't looking. She's a sneaky one alright! So, I had more than I deserved in gifts on my birthday and the day was just beginning!

Pagoda Street shops in Chinatown.

After breakfast, we did our grocery shopping at Novena early. We ate lunch at home and then rested for a couple of hours. I had suggested we take the MRT to Chinatown and explore there and find a nice place for dinner. We left around 4 o'clock to avoid the heat, but carried umbrellas because the sky was threatening a bit as it does on many days. We had to change MRT lines, but the ride to Chinatown was made without difficulty. When we rode the long escalator to the station exit, the sight before me took my breath away! Pagoda Street is a bustling pedestrian walkway filled with vendors hawking not just Chinese-themed clothes, jewelry, and trinkets, but a few Indian and even Turkish vendors were in the mix. This was another cash only venue, but I had visited the money exchange place that morning, so I was prepared!

Therapy awaits upstairs.

The first thing we did was fish therapy! I was familiar with the concept from my 2011 trip to Bali, where I observed Aron's treatment, but was not curious enough to try it then. This time I jumped at the opportunity and so did Hapny. We offered it to Sofie as well, but she could not muster the courage. It entails sitting with your lower legs and feet dangling in a fish tank with dozens of minnows nibbling voraciously (oxymoronic?) at your feet.

A feeding frenzy at my feet. That's a first!

Is this on your bucket list?

The first 10 seconds is nearly excruciating from the tickle and the creepiness. After that it becomes tolerable, even pleasureable! Our therapist, Steven (with a 'v' he said), was warm and engaging and answered my questions about the benefits of the therapy, his training and certification (framed on the wall). It all sounded legit, but didn't matter anyway. We thoroughly enjoyed our 15 minues of fish frenzy ($18 apiece).
We left in good spirits and slowly made our way down Pagoda Street, stopping at many of the shops, where I bought a few items. I finally told Hapny to stop me from buying anything more. Then she got a call from Aron and I saw a tablerunner I wanted for $5, so....her fault! ;)
At the end of the block is the Sri Mariamman (Hindu) Temple, established 1827. Services were in progress and we could hear temple bells and chanting--very pleasant sounds.

Architectural detail on the Hindu Temple.

Within two blocks there is a mosque and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, but we didn't take time to investigate. We turned and retraced our steps to a Chinese Seafood restaurant that appeared to be quite popular (a good sign).  It was favorably located across from the China Heritage Center. We arrived too late to tour the exhibits, but for sure this and more of Chinatown are destinations that demand an encore visit.

Grumpy Sofie tired of shopping.

Sofie, who became bored and grumpy from all the trinket browsing, perked up as our food orders arrived. I played it safe and got sweet and sour pork, which was delicious. Sofie ate seafood fried rice shared with her mother and Hapny ordered something spicy with the kangkong water spinach I was now familiar with. We left with enough "take away" food to make a fine meal on Saturday. We were home before eight and I, for one, felt sated by the gifts, the sights, sounds, tastes, and contentment having spent my special day with two very special members of my family.

A mango smoothie and a $1 pinwheel brightened
Sofie's mood before dinner.

I can't talk about my birthday without remembering my dad who passed in 1983. I was born on his birthday and I smile remembering the photo taken annually of the two of us holding a sign indicating our respective ages. He was 31 years older and would have been 93 this birthday. I mentioned to Hapny how nice it would be to share my birthday with Blossom Clover! I suggested jumping jacks might do the trick. I mentioned it several times during the day. She just smiled. Next doctor visit is Tuesday....

Delivered from Aron today, a bolt of beautiful Papuan cloth.
I will enjoy thinking about what to make of it....a long shift, perhaps.

Church Times Two is Twice as Nice

I attended church yesterday for the first time since embarking on this adventure. I spent some time online perusing the listing of 100+ Christian churches in Singapore trying to find one that met my specifications. My home church denomination is Disciples of Christ, but alas, there are none in Asia. The DOC is a very mainstream church not dissimilar to Presbyterian or Methodist. Finding one close to an MRT stop was a good way to begin the search.

Sofie rode her scooter to the market Sat.

The other qualifier needed to be a worship service not too early on Sunday. I was not having a great deal of luck with my search, finding only one within 600 meters of the MRT, which sounds a little far to walk in this hot climate. Besides, it required a transfer to a second MRT line and then a ride to the last stop on the outskirts of the city. The eleven o'clock start time, however, made this Christian Church (United Churches of Christ demonomination) a reasonable though not ideal option. So I read the website, which gave me some doubts. Then...call it luck, call it serendipity, or call it divine intervention, but here's what happened. On Saturday, Hapny wanted to find a local source for bottled water other than the Seven-Eleven Store at our MRT stop, which ran out of her preferred brand.

Tap water in my bottles.

I've told Hapny she's a water snob! She doesn't (can't...won't) drink tap water anywhere. She grew up in a village without potable water and only knew bottled or boiled water. She claims she can smell and taste the chlorine in 'city' water. But her palate is such that she rejects many brands of bottled water. Perhaps this makes her an aquafarian (my term). I have no such refinement in my water preferences. Tap is fine as long as it's not sulphur water which smells like rotten eggs! Getting back to the 'aha!' part of this tale....We knew there was a Cheers market attached to a gas station a few blocks from our residence. We had gone there once to ship documents to Aron using DHL service. Previously, I had noticed on the side street we walked that there was a Methodist sponsored junior high school. On Saturday, I looked more closely as we walked past and noticed the banner identifying this as the meeting place for Cairnhill Methodist Church! Voila! As soon as we returned with our water bottles, I went online to find out more and learned that Sunday morning service (in English) took place at 9:30, a reasonable time for such a short walk. I guess because this church meets in a school might explain why Google Maps failed to target it. 

I found a good church right in my neighborhood.

May 25 was the perfect Sunday for me to attend church. It was, after all, the date marking what would have been Alex's 30th birthday. What better way to celebrate his life? I couldn't help but think back to the day of his birth never imagining where I would be 30 years hence! It pleases me beyond words to report that my worship experience with the Methodists was outstanding. What a friendly and welcoming congregation they are! I arrived early (sans Hapny and Sofie) and sat next to the aisle in this spacious auditorium. Before services, I met the Pastor-in-Charge, Rev. William Sam, who had been tipped off about the visitor, no doubt. He called me by name during the service and so I waved as requested as all eyes looked my direction, which was fine. Many other members made a point to come by before the service to welcome me. I'm guessing attendance was around 100 people in this auditorium designed for many more than that. The service was contemporary, very similar in structure and music to the Bridge service occurring early evenings at my home church, Woodmont Christian.

The band at Cairnhill Methodist Church.

There was a five-piece band with guitars, keyboard, and drums and the service began with a succession of five songs with lyrics projected on a screen. Video played twice during the service; once with announcements and the second time showing activities during a mission trip to Borneo, Indonesia, which looked like a revival. The mission trip leader, Mr. Ronnie Yeo, gave the sermon, titled "The Transformative Power of God." He was inspirational and left me feeling uplifted. The only thing absent from this service was communion. Is that typical for Methodists? Weekly communion and emphasis on its meaning is integral to my normal worship experience. Afterward, I accepted an invitation to share tea with congregants in a covered outdoor area with picnic tables. It was there I met one of the very few non Asian members, an Englishman named Garth and his lovely Singaporean wife Sheila and their two young boys. We swapped life stories and I committed to return next week. After I described my experience to Hapny and Sofie, they expressed interest in attending with me. It's not that they chose not to accompany me this week, they had not yet made an appearance from their bedroom when I left the apartment.

Before mass at St Alphonsus Catholic Church.

Later in the day, we attended a worship service at the St. Alphonsus Catholic church at Novena, which we had walked past many times. Hapny is Catholic and I had told her on several occasions I was more than willing to accompany her or keep Sofie. I haven't attended mass in many years, but afterward Hapny said this service was very similar and familiar to what she was used to. This parish church has long established history to the 19th Century. The sanctuary building was dedicated in 1950, I noticed, and a campaign is underway to construct a new no doubt larger facility. There was a special collection for the building fund in addition to the regular collection. In contrast to the morning service I attended, I would say there were at least 500 maybe more in attendance. I stood as invited with the parishioners, and recited and sang, but did not kneel, or genuflect, or go forward for communion, as did Hapny and Sofie. The contrast between the two services could not have been more pronounced. I'll just leave it at that. To each his or her own! On this Memorial Day Monday, freedom of religion (or from religion, for that matter) is one of the rights our Armed Forces are willing to fight...and die for. God bless!

A lovely parting gift of 'Chillout Hymns' from the Methodists!
If only I had CD player!

I Ate Kang Kong...and other Epicuriosities

This is Saturday afternoon (May 24) or day three of nothing special going on; no sightseeing or out of the ordinary excursions to recount. Sofie and I splashed in the pool Thursday afternoon and we did a grocery run to our Novena store yesterday.

Sofie's backpack is our grocery cart.

Several weeks ago I bought Sofie a pink knapsack with detachable handle and wheels for rolling like a suitcase, which has been perfect for carting groceries home on the MRT. I have written before about the challenge of finding food that suits my palate, but my comfort level has ascended now that I have considerable control of what I can buy, prepare, and ingest. I'm talking just about ME, because Hapny prefers to buy and prepare foods she likes that I'm just not that into. Don't get me wrong, her cheffing skills are [insert superlative here] and her biggest (ahem) fan is her husband, my son! As a former picky eater as a youngster, Aron has outgrown his food aversions and reinvented himself as epicurious and willing to try any dish at least once. Hapny's second fan is Sofie, of course, and if you ask, her favorite dish is Nasi Goreng, a concoction of rice with fried egg, vegetables and spices popular in Indonesia. Sofie eats stuff that makes me cringe, which really speaks poorly of me, I confess. (Reading this may be a disappointment to my many epicurean friends.) Hapny's fare is healthful and rich with a wide variety of vegetables, rice (lots of rice), and meats, especially fish. Hapny always offers to prepare meals for me, but I rarely accept her offer. I have some guilt about it, but she is understanding and doesn't take it personally. We have found common ground with a few items, like filet of salmon, which I cook in the microwave with fresh lemon and ground pepper. If Hapny had her way, she would season everything with hot chile peppers, so she makes a point of leaving hot spices out of anything that I might eat. I've never liked hot, spicy food, which makes eating Indonesian food a challenge...or Thai food...or Buffalo hot wings, for that matter.

Thai food I enjoyed: Phat Thai Vegetables

Which is why it was significant earlier this week on one of our shopping expeditions when Hapny asked timidly if we could dine at the Thai Express restaurant we passed in the Citylink underground mall. We haven't seen but a few Thai restaurants and Hapny gives credit to Aron for introducing her to some hot spicy Thai dishes she loves. I have spent much of my adult life avoiding Thai food for that very reason! Of course, I could not and would not refuse her request! This whole Singapore experience, after all, is about HER and my second grandchild she is due to deliver in five weeks! She even offered to get her order 'to go' or 'take away' as they call it here, but I insisted otherwise. Surely, there would be something on the menu I could stomach. I searched long and hard, encouraged by the little chile symbols absent from some of the dishes pictured. With input from Hapny and the waitron (tip of the hat to hlu...), I settled on Item #1504 Phat Thai Vegetable Something-or-other. I think this is more commonly seen as Pad Thai in the States, but "fat thigh" has a certain charm, don't you think? It looked harmless enough, even appetizing, I dare say. Surprised to find, I loved this dish! I devoured every bite of it and remarked to Hapny that we would definitely be coming back! No doubt, I will order the same thing again. Turns out, I am pretty conservative about some things.... ;) I love Cracker Barrel, but I cannot eat there without ordering the same thing every time: turnip greens and pinto beans. (I credit some gene I inherited from my dad for that predilection.)

Hapny's dish with that fish! Note red hot Chile sauce.

The other morning when Hapny shuffled sleepy-eyed into the kitchen, I shocked her with, "I am going to have to hurt you now!" I was referring to the disgusting little fish with tail and head and sunken eye intact, left uncovered in the fridge! With all her many fine qualities, proper food storage is not one of them. This is why God made ziplocs! I don't mind the mysterious vegetables and odd cuts of meat she buys, but I don't want the mingled aromas when I open the refrigerator door! I'm funny that way. Last week, she picked up a package of long green shoots. She chopped and cooked it up with some rice (light seasoning) and in one of those rare instances, I was just hungry enough to try it.

Kang Kong, aka water spinach or pond slime
(not making that up!).

What motivated me? I wanted to say in all honesty, "I ate Kang Kong!" How was it? Ehh...tasted like grass, the kind you walk on, but the rice was good!

Discovering MOSES and 5,000 Birds!

Tuesday, May 20, we cast a wary eye at the ominous sky and decided to explore a new shopping mall at one of the MRT stops we had yet to visit at City Hall. I continue to be amazed by the plethora of retail venues attached to the MRT system. It seems our stop at Newton, which only has a Seven Eleven store, is the exception.

We found ground zero for baby products!

In all our shopping expeditions, we had yet to find the mother lode of stores catering to the needs of babies and new moms. On this day, we struck gold at Marina Square, next door to the Citylink Mall. Hapny was in heaven, needless to say. I was surprised she didn't load up, but was making mental notes instead for a return visit. Sofie got something out of the experience too, as there was a play area for tots in the mall.

Wisdom from MOSES

I made a heartwarming discovery as well in the Citylink Mall, where I had wandered into a shop called MOSES, which stands for Members Own Social Enterprise Services. It's a not-for-profit organization of Singapore Anglican Community Services that aims to "create sustainable training and work opportunities for people with mental illness in their journey toward recovery." A gentleman with a thick Chinese accent greeted me and explained the MOSES concept. Everything in the shop is produced by the clients. I asked if he was a volunteer or an employee, but I failed to understand his English well enough to know how he replied.

Sofie and the MOSES man.

He graciously allowed me to photograph him looking very old school with his expressionless face, despite his smiling demeanor toward me. I looked at a few small inexpensive items, but he guided me to a display of handmade clothes and, in particular, a pretty pink flowered wraparound dress exactly Sofie's size. I asked Sofie if she liked it and her quick response made that an easy purchase. It's the best $50 I have spent this entire trip and does my heart good.

The MOSES dress.

I hope to return to MOSES soon! Hooray for the Anglican Church in Singapore! I am feeling some guilt that I haven't attended any church services here. Must do better....
Yesterday, the 21st, we finally committed to visit the Jurong Bird Park, which boasts 5,000 birds across 400 species. It's located on the far west side of the city and required a long ride on the MRT with a transfer and then another transfer to a bus. We decided to take 'our' north-south line all the way north to its final stop on the city's west side at the station called Jurong East (confusing, I know). The majority of the ride is above ground, so a good way to eyeball much of Singapore not previously visited by us. Highrise apartments are everywhere. I guess that's how you fit a population approaching five and a half million into this island nation. I have yet to see a section of this city I would not feel safe in. And, believe me, once you get past the downtown stops of the financial district and big hotels, I am an oddity as an "anglo" or whatever using the transit system amidst the locals who are ethnic Chinese, ethnic Indian, and Malaysian. Hapny is too for that matter. We're just an odd little family here...but, I digress (again!).

Babes at the bird park.

At Jurong East we switched to the east-west line and after a few stops west, exited at Boon Lay. We walked a short way to the bus terminal, where we quickly found the queue for our bus number. A short wait and then a 10 minute ride to the bird park! The entire journey there took close to 90 minutes. We decided to buy our tickets (same price as the zoo) and eat at the Bongo Burger at the entrance before entering the park.  That was a good burger and fries, but pricey at $15, not counting the $4 for the Coke! In the park, we passed on the opportunity to have our photo made holding parrots. No visitor camera shots permitted and they wanted to charge $35 for the professional shot! Seriously!

Mama Hapny feeds a lory, but Sofie isn't close by.

Later, we did take advantage in the Lory Loft of feeding small lory parrots. Hapny held a small cup with some liquid food that the colorful birds injested. Sofie was too timid to get close enough to her mother to be in the photo! That was a little disappointing since she had talked about wanting to feed and have close contact with the birds. We enjoyed macaw island, the flamingos, and many other exhibits we passed as we rode the tram, which made two stops. The Waterfall Aviary at the second stop featured a 30-meter high waterfall in the world's largest walk-in aviary containing 600 free-flying birds.

The recalcitrant peacock.

Hapny was good at getting close to the birds.

Sofie was dismayed that we could not make the peacock fan his tail for us...although we tried! Without a doubt, Sofie's favorite place was the Birdz of Play (next to the birds of prey exhibit), a kids' waterpark with slides and fountains.

Sofie and ducks on a pond at play.

We knew to expect it after the zoo had a similar feature, but we forgot to pack Sofie's swimsuit. No matter, Hapny

Waterslide fun!

bought her a new one, so there was much fun to be had by our girl. She didn't want to leave and it took Ben and Jerry's ice cream to entice her from the water. It was approaching five o'clock by now and the adults were tired. Thankfully, it was not an overly hot day with a nice cloud cover offering shade from the bright sun. We made our way to the bus stop and then to the terminal where we crossed over to the MRT again. For the trip home, we opted to take the east-west line all the way east to the City Hall station where we could transfer to our north-south line. This time, the trains were filled with commuters at the end of the work day.

Tired girl on the MRT.

Standing room only, although Hapny with her obvious belly and small child in tow never failed to get a seat generously offered as needed. I commented to her that despite the crowd, there was zero unpleasantness amongst passengers, not even a hint of odiferous bodies. It was so unlike my memories of the steamy, smelly NYC subway system from my stint there in the 70s. Anyway, I guess we were more tired than we realized. At City Hall, we took one escalator up and another one down along with the throng and boarded the wrong train! We didn't even realize our mistake for 3 exits! Doh! We had boarded the east-west line going west, the direction from which we had just come! I guess it was bound to happen. We easily remedied our error and made the right connection the second time and were home at last after another adventure filled day. Today (Thursday) we're taking things easy. We will plan our next outing soon!

Blossom Clover Gets a Checkup

Monday, the 19th, and Blossom Clover was due for her two-week checkup. This was a much more relaxed appointment than the previous one on the hectic day we moved to Orchard Scotts.

Sofie ponders the odd display on the doctor's desk.

The first thing Dr. Chan said was to remark on how pretty Hapny looked. There was a bit of surprise in her voice, which prompted me to attribute that to our new found peace of mind in our comfortable residence and having passed the immigration challenges of last week. Everything is proceeding normally with the pregnancy and again, we saw the images and heard the heartbeat of the baby.

Latest pic of Blossom Clover!

There was paperwork to complete for the hospital registration and Dr. Chan discussed expectations with Hapny about the delivery. In response to the doctor's comment that second births occur more quickly, Hapny described the short timeframe of Sofie's birth at the birthing clinic in Medan, Sumatra. "The doctor was wrong!" She said. Her labor had started in late morning and the doctor had advised that the baby would not come until that evening. Surprise to all that Hapny delivered without anesthesia about two hours later! Wow! Flashback: How I wished that could have been my experience! I labored 26 hours in the hospital with the drip to speed things up before Aron was born! When it came time to push, I was wasted, so was gassed into oblivion for a forceps delivery. It was a couple of hours before I even saw my baby! Not the kind of birth experience one would choose to have. I'm just grateful it wasn't a C-section. My second delivery took half as long and I was awake and pushing when Alex came into the world.

Dr. Chan and the babes in Singapore.
Sister Sofie relishes her last weeks as a solo act...clueless....

My present concern is to respond post haste when Hapny has the first sign so we can avoid having this birth in a taxicab! It's going to be an exciting time. I hope Aron will be here by then. He arrives the 20th of June, a week before the due date. We're all hoping the baby comes shortly after that...especially me since I am scheduled to leave on the 27th....

Blossom Clover's growing layette. 

Dr. Chan wants to see Hapny in two weeks and will do some additional testing at that time. She kindly consented to a few photographs, even asking her nurse to snap one so I could be in the picture too. How thoughtful! We left and made a quick stop at the hospital next door to drop off the registration forms. Then we did a bit of clothes shopping in the Novena center. (Hapny's passion for shopping is rubbing off on me!) We've started to amass tiny duds for the tyke along with towels and blankets, but on this day we shopped for ourselves! We stopped by our favorite Chinese restaurant for lunch where we hadn't been for a week. Finally, grocery shopping and then home for the day.

Culture, Cable Cars...and Crime

It's a rainy Sunday, May 18, a good day to hole up and write. Recent weather pattern has been rainy mornings with overcast or clearing skies as the day progresses. Today, however, is stormy. There just went a big clap of thunder. We've been out and about exploring and playing tourist in the afternoons, the past two days in particular, and we had already decided to make this a lazy do-nothing day. We'll enjoy the playground or pool later as weather permits.

River walk at Clarke Quay.

We've really mastered the MRT, traveling farther and making transfers to other lines besides the North-South line. It is such an incredibly cheap way to get around town. On Thursday, we rode the MRT to the next stop south, Orchard, a word synonymous with shopping around here. Under one roof at the MRT exit there are nine levels of shops and restaurants that are part of Ion with many more retail centers next to this one. We have now familiarized ourselves with the four basement levels at Ion and discovered a couple of bargain places and a gourmet grocery. We still have five above ground levels to explore.

American themed watering hole along the quay
boasts the best wings.

On Friday, we went to Clarke Quay to experience more of the riverwalk. An incredibly muggy hot day, we crossed the river and ambled through the pedestrian mall, which was practically devoid of humans. This is clearly an afterhours locale for couples looking for food, drink and music. We took a taxi up the hill to the National Museum of Singapore. Again, we probably paid extra for what we think was a more circuitous route than was necessary. We did complain and the driver gave us a dollar off, so I guess that's how the game is played here.

A cafe at the interface of the historic and new structures of the National Museum.

The museum is a historic and stately neo-Palladian structure recently refurbished and with a modern glass addition to expand gallery, educational and dining space. The permanent collections include a warren of rooms describing Singapore's history. There are personal audio guides where you key in the number stamped on the floor or next to a display for details.

A rickshaw from Singapore's past.

Frankly, we got a little confused by the layout, which offered too many choices; but we enjoyed it and learned more about this amazing city state. Two other galleries we visited were about the local fashion industry, past and present, and a retrospective on Singapore's film industry, featuring clips in Malaysian, Mandarin, and Hindu languages catering to those ethnicities common to this region. The Museum will open an interactive kids' program later this month and there's a good chance we'll return for Sofie's benefit.

Hapny and Sofie admiring a fashion display.

On Saturday, we rode the MRT to the Harborfront and took a cable car high over the water to Sentosa Island, Singapore's equivalent of Six Flags.

A limited view of the massive harbor.

This was our first look at the industrial shipping docks and cruise line port. It is by far the largest port I've ever seen, which speaks to the strategic importance of the tip of the Malay peninsula. It was so strategic the Japanese saw fit to occupy Singapore during WWII. Our visit to Sentosa was more of a reconnaisance venture for a future return. Hapny and I agree this is tailor made for a father-daughter experience. There's a wave pool, waterslides, gocarts, a butterfly house, and much more than we encountered.

The Sentosa Merlion overlooks the harbor.

A prominent feature of the island is a scaled up replica of the Merlion, big enough for people to pay money to go inside and to the top of it. We were fine with snapping photos of it from outside. We finally encountered tourist souvenir shops we'd been looking for since our arrival in Singapore. Now I have my very own Merlion teeshirt at long last.

It's a riff on the three monkeys "see no evil, hear no evil..." etc., featuring merlion images making light of Singapore's strict laws, which carry hefty fines (like the $500 for chewing gum infraction that I inadvertently committed on day one here). Since then, I am careful to chew gum in the privacy of my room. Surely, that's allowed.... Speaking of law breakers, our resident rock star took a page from Justin Beiber's book a few days ago.

The guilty one.

I say rock star because anything Sofie sees that remotely resembles a microphone is immediately employed as such as many times a day as we can stand. I don't know if you were able to view on a previous blogpost the onomatopoeia song she recorded, but they're all her original material and unique to say the least, not to mention loud. Anyway, Sofie appropriated a piece of candy from a bin in a Seven Eleven store at our MRT stop; which is to say, she stole it. To her credit, she admitted the crime on the way home after consuming the contraband. She was firmly chastised and the following day we returned to the scene of the crime where she and her mother admitted the theft to the store manager, much to Sofie's chagrin.

Shameful apology at the scene of the crime.

It was somewhat disappointing that he graciously waved it off, so there was no lesson there to be learned. I won't mention the part where her sweet mother bought additional pieces of candy for us all, including the thief. Oops...I guess I just did! My apologies to Hapny. She's a soft touch.

Tourists Again: The Zoo and The Quay

Since we conquered the immigration conundrum, we've had more time to resume exploring what Singapore offers. There are many more cultural and amusement venues than we'll likely be able to visit, if for no other reason than financial. So, we pick and choose with an eye to entertainment and educational value to Sofie, an eye to ease of transportation, and an eye to our pocketbook.

Last Saturday, we visited the Singapore Zoo, billed as the largest rainforest zoo in the world. Rainforest equates to hot and steamy, but we spent the better part of the day and Sofie had a great time. She wanted more than Hapny and I felt capable of in the heat. It is worthy of a return trip, perhaps when her daddy is here in June or July. Part of the adventure was the challenge of taking the MRT five stops north to Ang Mo Kio, farther than we had gone in that direction, and then transferring to a public bus at the adjacent terminal, our first bus excursion. We managed to get to our destination without any problems and it saved us probably $30 in cab fare one way.  The trip took about an hour and it was nice to see parts of Singapore unfamiliar to us that were away from the downtown skyscrapers.

Mumu, Sofie and faux otters.

The zoo is located next to a reservoir and there's plenty of lush landscape to view along the way.  We opted to pay an extra $5 apiece for the inpark tram, so the total price for tickets was $88.  It appears to be a well-managed and animal friendly zoo with large natural habitat enclosures, but that does make animal viewing more of a zoom lens type experience, so it made more sense to take photos of Sofie with an array of sculptural animals erected along the way. That was good thinking on the zoo planners' part, I think. We could have done a better job of planning when to visit particular exhibits, so we missed the elephant show and zoomed past the giraffe and zebra enclosures on the tram, which only stopped at designated points along the way.

Our favorite display was the polar bear exhibit because we managed to arrive for feeding time and got to see the "great ice bear" diving for hunks of meat thrown into the water.

The tank had a glass display which made viewing easy. We enjoyed a surprisingly delicious lunch of spaghetti bolognese at a massive food court.

There was a quite nice "kidzworld" section offering pony rides, and a "wet play"  area for wading under sprays and spouts with a waterslide. Sofie and her mom took advantage by wading in to cool off in the mist. Despite the momentary cool down, we wilted after several hours and left before seeing absolutely everything. It made for a very lovely outing.
On Mother's Day Sunday, we chose to do absolutely nothing except accompany Sofie to the playground and then for a nice relaxing dip in the pool.

Sofie overlooking the Singapore River quay.

Aron extended an invitation for us to dine out somewhere nice, so we opted to do that on Monday afternoon, an overcast day with a nice breeze perfect for exploring the river walk and boat quay, along which are a series of restaurants offering al fresco dining with menus from around the world. We liked the seafood fare of an Italian restaurant, which proved to be a good choice. Since it was midafternoon on a work day sandwiched between Mother's Day and Vesak Day holidays, it was a perfect time with few tourists or citizen workers. How fortunate for those employed in the adjacent towers of this financial hub to have such environs for enjoying their lunch hour.

Singapore's founder, Stamford Raffles.

Afterward we walked up one side, crossed the North Bridge and down the other side of the river past the Parliament House and the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, the British statesman called the "father of Singapore," who first landed at that spot in 1819. Singapore remained a British Crown Colony until independence in 1957. We crossed over the river again and took a few minutes to visit the lobby of the Fullerton Hotel, a beautiful colonial era structure that was built as a post office before conversion to luxury hotel. A short walk to the MRT station at Raffles Place and soon we were home again mulling options for our next adventure.