Jamie's Birthday

This past Saturday Jamie turned the big 2-8!! To celebrate, I surprised him with a day in Sentosa Island. It's a small island near Singapore where the people go to "get away" from the "city life". It has beaches with bars and restaurants as well as some attractions. We took the cable car over from Singapore and once we arrived we visited the Butterfly Park and Fort Siloso, rode on the Tiger Tower, took the sky ride down to the beach and had lunch at a place called the Bikini Bar. We had a blast! Jamie has been so busy lately that it was good to have a full day to relax!

This isn't the best photo in the world, but if you look closely you will see a miracle! Jamie's first gift of the day was his first pair of flip flops. He has always hated flip flops! He didn't even like it when I wore them. Since we've been in Singapore he's begun to change his mind (mainly b/c people do not wear shoes inside their houses around here, there are even some shops that won't even let you wear your shoes so it's easier to have something that slips off) so I decided if I was ever going to get in into a pair I had to do 2 things. 1) Buy them while we were here and 2) Make sure I got a really good pair so they wouldn't look cheap (that's what he's always hated the most about them). So, here they are. If you've never seen a pair of $100 flip flops, here 's what they look like.

On the top is the view coming into Sentosa on the Cable Car. On the right is the view from the Tiger Tower. The big statue in the center of the photo is the Merlion attraction. The Merlion which is popular with Singaporean culture is a fictitious creature that is a lion head with a fish body. The lion head symbolizes the fabled beast that once roamed the ancient island state, and the fish body symbolizes Singapore's origin as a prosperous seaport.

The next photos were taken at the butterfly park. It was amazing how close the butterflies would let you get to them! The last one reminded us of a tiger, so we called it a "Clemson" Butterfly.

This last photo is a self portrait that we took taking the sky ride down to the beach.

For the most part it was a great day. I was a little disappointed that I was unable to get a birthday cake, but that is another story for another day. I will tell you that it ended with an order for a chocolate cake with butter cream icing and when I went to pick it up it was a chocolate sponge cake with no icing. The lady was not happy when I refused to accept it! The rest of his gifts included tickets to the Barclay's Singapore Open (Golf Tournament) held on Sentosa Island in the middle of November and a Bose Portable Speaker System for his IPOD. We had to have someone bring it from the States so it didn't arrive until yesterday.

So Happy Birthday to Jamie, who is now in his LATE 20's but is still denying it!!

Another Week

I am sad to say that I have survived another week of work,and not much has changed. I have learned a little, gotten aggravated a lot, and still have a long way to go. Hopefully it will get better with time! One of the things I have found amusing about working here is the different names for stuff. I would like to introduce you to some "Singaporean Medical Terminology"

Cot - baby crib
Jab - a shot
Drip - IV fluids
Passing away - Urinating
The Stick - an IV
The Sting - a UTI
The Chop - a stamp (here we have stamps with our names so we don't have to sign everything, you just stamp it and put your initials)

I have met some people at work who have been nice enough to take me out to lunch a few times to some of the "local joints". It's easier to try new things when you have people around who can tell you what it is! I think they have made it a goal to take me around to try all of the different types of local food around here. So far everything has been pretty good. I haven't tried anything crazy, but I have ventured out a little bit!

Jamie on the other hand went wild with some clients the other day and had the fish head curry! I know! Can you believe it? He said it was actually pretty good! Still don't think I'm there yet. Today at work I had a hospital orientation class to attend and they provided lunch. One of the items I had was fried rice. It was really good, until I noticed some bright blue dots in it. I began to dig around and found that the dots were eyes!! Yes, eye balls!! There were tiny fish cooked in with my rice. The more I explored, the more I found and suddenly I had little fish bodies with their little eye balls staring at me. Needless to say I felt sick for the rest of the afternoon. Jamie just laughed and gave me some advice.

"If it's good, don't ask what's in it and don't look to hard at it. Just eat it and relax".

Again, I'm just not quite there yet!

Guess I'm a working girl!

This week I was finally able to put my little white uniforms to work and I must say I looked pretty good in them! (sorry, no pictures j/k) It was a strange, trying week and thank goodness it's over! I knew that the hospital setting would be different in Singapore, but I was no where near as prepared as I needed to be. Even the most common sense, minuscule task are so much different. It's like being in another world. The policies, the procedures, even the scope of practice is way different than anything I am used to. I am constantly being asked questions about how it's done in the US, and I almost feel bad telling them about it because I know they just don't get it. Even with all of the problems our health care system has, I've realized that it's still a great one!

For the month or so that I have been here I can honestly say that I have not really been home sick once, but that all changed once I stepped into the hospital. I miss all of you from the FBC sooo much! I miss Amy's crack-in-a-bag (I mean chocolate bag), Pru's whacked out emails and videos, Kristen's "suck it up and get it done" attitude, Jennifer's never ending appetite, and well...I could write a book listing everyone! (so for those of you that I did not mention please know that I am thinking about you :) Julie, you will be happy to know that I have carried on the "Princess" name, as that is what some of the people over here think of me (I guess I learned from the best right!). I know that I am just going through a period of adjustment and It will take some time to get use to it, but I needed to vent a little. I think we are entitled to that every once in a while.

In the end I love what I do, so I don't think being in another country will change that. In a few weeks I'll probably be on here taking about how much I love it, right? Until then I hope everyone is happy and well!

Catching Up

I've fallen behind the last two weeks so it's time to play catch-up. The past couple weeks Jamie and I have started to do more touring and site seeing. Two weekends ago, we went to the 1st ever Singapore River Festival with some friends. We only attended the opening night for the lighting of the river (which for the most part was several of these boats floating around) but it made for a nice scene. The festival itself is two weeks full of music, drinking, and well...that's really about it. They do some shows as well but mostly drinking. They even had a floating bar and stage. The photo below is shortly after they turned the lights on. The building in the back is one of the many shopping malls. The area we were in was so full you can see the people lined up along the mall front watching the festivities.

I also had a chance to explore Little India with a friend. I must say that I have heard it's truely like being in India but since I have never been to India myself I can not confirm that. I will say that I sure wasn't in Texas anymore! Right now they are celebrating Deepavali (the word means "Row of Lights" and is celebrated all over by Hindus as an occasion symbolising the victory of righteousness over the dark forces of evil). At night the lights you see in the photos below are all turned on. Here they celebrate from Sept 20th to Nov 2nd, and have different functions during these months. The huge tent you see is filled with street merchants that sell everything from Christmas lights to handmade trinkets and keychains.

This past weekend Jamie and I went to the Botanical Gardens and spent the afternoon relaxing and walking around. There was so much to see I don't think we even got through half of it. I have been told that unless you want to spend the entire day, plan on going back two or three times. With all of the shopping malls you sometimes forget that a good part of Singapore is still rainforest.

We also made our first "Singaporean Purchases" this weekend. When I got here I was told that there are two things people who move to Singapore don't leave without. They are 1) Hand made carpets and 2) Teak Furniture. We purchased our first hand made carpet to go in our living room. It's a 5x7 silk wool blend and (as they are suppose to) changes colors depending on the way you look at it. We did not buy a piece of teak furniture per say, but we did buy this unbelievible hand carved wall hanging that is awesome!!! It is 3 ft by 3 ft and 2 inches thick, and made out of Burmese Teak. I am so excited about both, that I couldn't wait to show you guys. The photo of the carving doesn't do it justice, it's so much better in person.

Hope everything is going well for everyone and you are enjoying eating your "American Food"!! As you can read all is well here, although we are having a major craving for some Black Walnut!

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!