Lessons learned

Jamie and I have been here for a little over a month now and we've had some time to explore. We've learned a lot about the lifestyle around here as well as the dos and don'ts. We thought we would share some of the stuff we've learned with all of you, as well as some photos we've taken along the way. Some of these are hard to read, just click on them and they will come up bigger.

Lesson 1
They love fines around here, Singapore is actually known as "the city of fines". You can be fined for almost anything. Not flushing in public $150 fine, not wearing your seat belt $150 fine, not picking up after your dog $500 fine... I'll let you see the others for yourself

Lesson 2
Follow the rules or see lesson 1. Every where you go there are signs telling you what you can not do. Some of them are so ridiculous. These do not have the fines listed, but I am sure they have some too.

Are you serious?? No where in America would you have so many people studying that you would have to put a sign up telling them not to do it.

The one on the right was taken at a McDonald's outdoor seating area.

Jamie thinks this means "No Alien Abduction". I think it means "Do Not Cross". Who do you agree with?

Lesson 3

When they say "Do Not Enter" they mean it!

You can find the sign with the gun all over the country. The one with the lighting bolt is a do not enter as well.. The words around it are "danger, do not enter" in different languages. The last one is a house around the corner from us. If you look at the top of the wall closely, you will see that he has a "Singaporean Alarm System"

Lesson 4
Watch where you urinate. You never know who's watching, or testing!

The first photo was taken in an elevator at a shopping mall.

Lesson 5

Try the local dishes at your own risk!

These photos here were taken at a "Hawker Stand' (local food court) near our house. This one is the most well known centers and where all the tourist go when visiting Singapore. They got mad that I was taking photos (surprise, surprise) but I managed to get a few. I have made the first one bigger, so you can click on it and read it a little better. Jamie and I have had the chili crab, it's actually not that bad. Still have not gotten up the nerve to try the fish head curry.....yuck!(Langridge, we're waiting on you to come visit to do that!!)

These last photos are just random photo's we've taken, some weird, some funny, enjoy!

Houston, take note. Simple solution to a complex problem. A few feet from this sign there is another one that says "No Illegal Foreign Workers Allowed". It was right by the guard gate so I was unable to take a picture.

Its not funny that they have the bags around, it's funny that they tell illustrate how to use them!

Drink Cup - Jamie calls this "Crack in a Cup". Every day at 3pm he gets the shakes and this is the only thing that will get rid of them. For 40 cent a machine will spit out a cup and fill it for you. It's suppose to be "cola" but it comes out of the same nozzle as the coffee and a local fruit drink.

These are the biggest snails we have ever seen! They were around the corner from our house. Surprisingly,escargot is hard to find on the menus around here.

Is it really that hard to write "Speed Bump"?

They wear dresses!?!

This past week was pretty busy. I had an appointment to sign some papers for my new job and pick up my uniforms, finish getting the house all settled, get the dogs from the quarantine, and take Punkin to her 8 week post op check up.

At this point the house is all unpacked and organized and the dogs are doing great. Punkin had to have a bile acids test done and the lab values came back basically in the normal range (one level was normal and the other one was 11, normal for this value should have been <5 but her pre op level was >300 so I would say it's pretty good)! They seem to like the area and are really happy to be home.

My uniforms are a different matter! I was told after signing my papers that I would be supplied with 3 uniforms (since I am part time) and I would also get an $80 allowance for shoes per year. I was pretty happy with that, until I went to get them. The lady handed me a dress and told me to try it on. I was like "a dress, but I am in labor and delivery"! She then said that they have pants suits also and they just needed a size, so I went in and tried it on. When I came out she handed me the pants suit like she stated. Afterwards she asked what I would like to get. I told her "3 pants suits" she then replied "you have to have at least one dress" to which I stated again "a dress, but I am a labor and delivery nurse??". She then put down 1 dress, 2 pants suits. I must explain that these dresses are not ankle length. They come right above the knee.
Oh, and I have not told you the best part. Not only do they wear dresses but...............


They are WHITE!!!!

Yes, I will be a smiling, happy, labor and delivery nurse wearing a little, white, knee length dress!! Is it just me or does this sound a little off? Not too sure how this is going to go over but I will tell you this, the first time I get goody juice all over my legs I'm going home!!

That's all for now, I knew that some of you out there would understand why I am frustrated by this and I just felt like venting! Hope all is well!

Rome Was Not Built in a Day.....

So...Jamie and I just got back from our long awaited European vacation. We started off our adventure in Rome. I've always heard the saying "Rome wasn't built in a day" but did not get the full meaning of it until we arrived. There was so much to see! We were only there for 2 days, but could have stayed 2 weeks, maybe even 2 months! We tried to see as much as we could, so it was a very busy two days. We took almost 300 photos for the vacation and I still find myself saying "I wish I would have taken a picture of that!". We started off seeing some of the sites near the hotel like Piazza Navona, The Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. We then had dinner at a little restaurant that was recommended near Piazza Navona. The next day we started with St. Peter's Basilica and Vatican City where we walked though the church and saw the Sistine Chapel. We rapped up the day with a private guide who showed us a little more of Ancient Rome. With Monti, we viewed the Spanish Steps, the Forum and Capitoline Hill, the Colosseum and a few places that are not so well known, which included an area that overlooks all of Rome and another area that you can look through a key hole (literally) and see a fantastic view of St. Peter's. It looked like a postcard! I think the Colosseum was our favorite, but the last view through the keyhole was great as well. Below are some of the photos.

Top photo - Jamie and I at St. Peter's
1st two - our hotel and the historic building across the street
2nd two - The Colosseum and the family with the view of Rome
Photo to right - Jamie and I on the Spanish Steps














The next day we revisited a few sites that we wanted to take a closer look at and then took a train to Naples where we would board our cruise the following day. The cruise was an adventure to say the least. It was not the cruise we were anticipating, but what's a McMillan vacation without some bumps in the road? A few notables were having to pay for water (yes, I do mean tap water), and oh, for those of you who have been on cruises before and have eaten your body weight in the free soft serve...not happening on this ship! We had to pay for all ice cream (except dinner). If you have read my blog about prices in Singapore you can imagine how much of a disappointment this was. I have been telling Jamie for weeks before our cruise " Just wait till we get on the boat, you can have as much ice cream as you want", and then they charged us for it! We spent $60 alone in ice cream cones (and that was just on the boat!) Aside from that, I would have to say that the highlight of the cruise was Palma De Mallorca where we went to the Son Amar dinner show. It was great! For those of you who get a chance to visit Mallorca this show is a must see! Like Rome, there really was no time to relax on the cruise either. We had a port everyday and while some of the ports didn't have much to do (like Tunis), you still felt like you needed to get off the boat and explore. The photos below are from the cruise.


1st- Mom McMillan and I on our first camel ride. 2nd -Jamie and I in Pompeii 3rd- Jamie and I at the Son Amar show 4th-Jamie at the German forts on Frioul Island in Marseille, France



















To the right is Jamie running around the forts. At one point we thought he had fallen off the cliff b/c he had disappeared. Turns out he just discovered another hole to climb in! It's funny how quickly they turn into kids again!















After the cruise our last stop was Sorrento, Italy. It was a great little town where we had an amazing view! It was the total opposite of Rome, quiet and quaint. From there we took a boat trip to Capri, Italy which was wonderful as well. For the overall trip these two days were the best. Jamie and I decided that these two spots were a must for vacation again. The people were so polite and the scenic views were gorgeous! So, I leave you with my absolute favorite photos from the trip. The one on the left was taken after we arrived back in Sorrento from our trip to Capri and the Blue Grotto (an amazing experience but they rush you in and out of there like cattle). The sunset was so pretty and the view was amazing! The next photo was taken from our balcony at the hotel. You almost can't tell where the sea ends and the sky begins.

We hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the blog. Our sea shipment was delivered yesterday and the girls come home on Sunday. After this weekend hopefully it will truly start to feel like home. Jamie and I have been taking some funny photos around town that we will share with you next time. Until then, everyone take care and we hope that everyone in Houston does well during the storm!