Monday, November 30, 2009

SE Asia Vacation - Day 1, Singapore

Joey and I took our first off-island vacation! Actually, it's our first real vacation together and we had a fantastic time! We took a trip to Singapore, and from there we hopped on a cruise ship to Malaysia and Thailand!

About six of my friends and I planned this cruise trip together way back in March, but unfortunately due to scheduling conflicts, my friend Amy S. and I were the only ones that were able to make the original cruise date, while two others rescheduled for the week after us and made it into a girls trip. But we had fun, nonetheless!

Almost ready to board our plane to Singapore!

The name Singapore comes from the Malay word, Singapura, meaning "Lion-city" and is located on the southern tip of Malaysia. It is a diverse country with majority being Malay, Indian, and Chinese. Singapore is a small country with a growing population, therefore, there were skyscrapers everywhere, with more being built. As some of you may know, Singapore is known as the "Fine City" because of all fines you would get for doing things that are illegal in Singapore, such as chewing gum (however, possession is okay) and littering. I must say, the No Littering rule should be adopted and followed by all countries because Singapore was so beautiful and clean!


We stayed at a couple of hotels on Orchard Road, which is the mecca of shopping in Singapore! The street was so beautiful because it was decorated with Christmas decorations (check back for a later post to see the pictures).

Singapore dollars.

It took half a day to travel to Singapore from Okinawa, and we arrived past midnight on Friday morning. We decided to take Friday easy and just walk around Singapore and visit museums.

Our first stop was to the Asian Civilizations Museum. But before we went in, we stopped to eat lunch at a restaurant next door called IndoChine - so yummy! Joey was able to try the Singaporean beer called Tiger; he said it was "alright".


Joey's Tiger beer on the left, and my iced tea on the right.

We were excited to find out that the Asian Civilizations Museum had a special exhibition gallery dedicated to the Philippines, called Land of the Morning, the Philippines and its People. Now, I'm not the biggest history fan, but I love learning about different cultures and religions. So this museum was a great way to start our trip in SE Asia, giving us a bit of background before we visited the other places.



There were a total of eight galleries at the museum, which highlighted Singapore, West Asia/Islamic, South Asia, China, and Southeast Asia. Joey and I learned so much!


A large Pejeng-style Bronze Drum from East Java, Indonesia.


At the top is a Qu'ran Scroll from the 15th Century, Ottoman Turkey which has the 'text in text' feature, transmitting the entire contents of the Qu'ran.

A closer look at the Qu'ran Scroll. Impressive!

Statue outside the Asian Civilizations Museum.

After the museum, we crossed the Cavenagh Bridge - it is the only suspension bridge and one of the oldest bridges in Singapore that crosses over the Singapore River.

Cavenagh Bridge

Next, we went to Victoria Street to visit CHIJMES (pronounced 'chimes'), which used to be a Catholic convent, the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus. The chapel is now used as a multipurpose hall and that day, it was being set up for the reception of a wedding. We were able to sneak one picture of the inside and it was beautiful! Other than taking pictures of the chapel itself, there was not much to do there, as the surroundings were converted into restaurants, shopping, and entertainment.

The front view of CHIJMES.

The back and side view of CHIJMES.

The inside of CHIJMES.

Right across the street from CHIJMES, we found the Roman Catholic Archbishop Diocese of Singapore and the Archbishop's House.

Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Good Shepherd.

Then, not knowing what to do next, we asked for directions and walked to the Peranakan Museum. Peranakan comes from the Malay word, meaning "child of" or "born of". The term is used to refer to a person of mixed ethnic origins in Southeast Asia. For example, Jawi Peranakans are descended from Indian Muslims and Tsinoys are those in the Philippines of Chinese and Filipino or Spanish ancestry. The Peranakan Museum focused on the Peranakan Chinese communities.


There were a total of 10 galleries with a special exhibition gallery called, Baba Bling - The Peranakans and their Jewellery (Yes, they spelled jewelry like that. I guess it's because of their British influence). Did you know that they had elaborate 12 day weddings? The museum explained the Peranakan origins, Peranakan wedding, childbirth, family life, the life of Nonyas (Peranakan women) and Babas (Peranakan men), food, and Peranakans today.

The head wear and jewelry of the Peranakan bride and groom. Fancy, huh!

Nonyaware - a brightly colored porcelain that was favored by Nonya's for special occasions.

Baba Bling exhibition - sorry, no pictures were allowed inside!

Once we were done, we headed back down to the first floor to find out there was a gathering of Chinese Peranakans!


By then, Joey and I were exhausted after walking around and exploring Singapore for our first day. So we headed back to our hotel to get some rest for another busy day ahead!

Friday, November 13, 2009

Keiko - Okinawa's Next Top Model

If they had the television show, Okinawa's Next Top Model, then I think Keiko would win hands down! The first four pictures are when we first got Keiko at 9 weeks old. She's a little supermodel, or, I like to call her a Diva.

"Look at the camera Keiko. Beautiful!"

"Look back at me Keiko. Fantastic!"

"Turn to your left side Keiko. Work it girl!"

"Turn to your right side Keiko. The camera loves you!"

Since we got Keiko, we tried to groom her ourselves ... using Joey's clippers. And note that we've never groomed any dog before. We did it two times before we took her to a professional groomer. She didn't look too bad when we did it ourselves, but I prefer the groomers from now on. Or at least until we buy better clippers and learn how to groom her properly.

We may have let her get too shaggy before taking her to the groomers.

Before ...

... and after.

We took her to the Vet today and currently, she's 17 weeks old, 4.8 lbs. and stands 10 inches tall (floor to the top of her back).

Keiko's getting so big now, well, "big" for a toy breed. She's big enough, that she learned how to jump on the couch this week. And I hope I don't jinx myself, but she's been holding in her pee and poop throughout the night for a few weeks now! Woohoo, no more waking up in the middle of the night to take her out or waking up to a soiled blanket!

She's got a lot of energy and is full of personality! She's so playful, loves attention, very friendly, and her favorite game is to play fetch.

Look at her little half-grin, so cute! Or maybe it's a, "Hurry with the pictures Mom, I want to get off here and play with Daddy!" kind of smile.

We love her so much!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Spooky Sites Tour

A week before Halloween, Joey and I joined our friends Charity and Chris on the Spooky Sites Tour of Okinawa. During the tour, our tour guide told us interesting Okinawan ghost stories. We live on a fairly small island, so I'm sure there are quite a few spirits or ghosts wandering around the island - especially after the Battle of Okinawa.

In fact, there are tombs everywhere on the island - practically every block. There are a couple just up the road from where I live. Okinawa doesn't have a cemetery, instead, families have family tombs to place their loved ones ashes. I admit, I was pretty spooked when I first arrived and would have to drive past some on the way home. I'm not so much scared now because I learned Okinawan's believe that their ancestors and their spirits will protect you.

If you want to hear some of the ghost stories that were told to us on the tour, ask me. Otherwise, I won't post them on here and you'll have to just find out by going on the tour yourself!

We visited three locations - Cape Zanpa, a haunted house on Kadena, and a park near the Goen Yakiniku in Yomitan. Yes, I was a scaredy cat at all of the locations. But I think that fact that it was raining and there was limited light in some of the locations attributed to me being scared.

Cape Zanpa

We've been to Cape Zanpa during the day a couple of times, being that it's really close to where we live. I have to say, I like it better when it's daylight.

The haunted house on Kadena AB.

Goen Park

It's weird that I'm a huge scaredy cat, but I still love to hear ghost stories and watch scary movies.

Murder Mystery Dinner

A few weeks ago, my friend Jess was kind enough to hold a Murder Mystery Dinner Party at her place. It was so much fun! Everyone dressed up accordingly, and some even acted with an accent.

Left to Right: Mandy (Father Al Fredo), Me (Mama Rosa), Laura (Marco Roni), Amy (Tara Misu), Charity (Rocco Scarfazzi) - note the chest hair, Jess (Bo Jalais), and Kellee (Angel Roni)

Joey and I tried to participate in one held at the Schilling Community Center on Kadena, but all the main characters were filled within the first day of sign-ups. So when I told Joey that it was a girls night and he wasn't invited, he was bummed. He really wanted to go, and even offered to take pictures and video tape us! Maybe next time we'll have another murder mystery dinner party for a larger group, where husbands are invited.

Jess ordered the kit on Amazon and the theme was called Pasta, Passion, and Pistols. Charity and Jess went all out in decorating the place to look like a murder scene in an Italian Restaurant - body outline on the floor, "caution" tape on the doors, pasta boxes on display, a candle lit table, background music, as well as making a yummy Italian dinner and desserts.


It was my first murder mystery dinner and didn't know what to expect, but I ended up having a blast! I don't want to spoil the end and tell you who killed Pepi, just in case someone else does this same storyline.

For anyone looking to have one of these parties, it's so easy to host. The kit includes the music, the storylines/scripts, and the menu with recipes. For more about our storyline, read below.


Here's the plot: Guiseppe (Pepi) Roni served up a mean plate of pasta until someone did him in. Now there's big trouble in Little Italy because 4 days ago he was found murdered in the kitchen of his renowned New York City eatery, La Sperenza. Pepi had been shot in the back with his own pistol. We gather together to pay our respects and eat a feast of Italian food in his honor.

1. Rocco Scarfazzi: Pepi's twin brother, a tough-talking no-nonsense Italian business man. In addition to his vineyards and real estate holdings, it is rumored Rocco is in the 'laundering' business. He had no love for his brother Pepi but his reasons are his own.

2. Tara Misu: Rocco's vivacious young fiancé. She was just an upstairs maid in Rocco's villa until she swept him off his feet. Now Tara keeps a smile on his face and a firm grip on Rocco's assets. Tara is dressed to kill. She knows the effect she has on men and flaunts her charms shamelessly.

3. Mama Rosa: Pepi's grieving widow. For 25 years, Mama Rosa cooked the pasta while Pepi greeted La Sperenza's dinner guests. In all the years they were married, not once did they argue. Had something finally boiled over in Rosa's kitchen?

4. Marco Roni: Pepi and Mama Rosa's only son, Marco was expected to take over the restaurant after his parents retired. Marco hates waiting tables. His goal is to play on a World Cup soccer team but his papa has been keeping him permanently on the bench.

5. Bo Jalais: Cousin of a cousin of Rocco's, Bo manages the Scarfazzi vineyards. Bo comes from a long line of French wine-makers and no one knows 'ze' grape like Bo. An important man in the Scarfazzi organization .... what could Bo possibly have to whine about.

6. Angel Roni: Pepi and Rosa's beautiful daughter. It was Pepi's dream that his 'Angel' would marry a good Italian boy, have children and carry on the family traditions. Angel has a few fantasies of her own though and one of them is that hunk, Bo jalais. Mama-mia!The next two are optional, if we have more than 6:

7. Father Al Fredo: An Italian priest and long-time family friend of the Roni's and the Scarfazzi's. The good priest has heard their confessions and knows their sins.

8. Clair Voyant: Rosa's best friend and astrology advisor. Clair's talents include an ability to communicate with the spirit world and see into the future.