Pictures from November

   It is hard to believe that we have been living in Singapore for three months already!! 

  Since the last blog post, we have learned that we WILL be home for Christmas...that in itself is a Christmas gift!  Needless to say, we are both anxious to be back on U.S. soil to spend the holidays with our families and enjoy a little home cooking and maybe some deer hunting too. :)  I depart from Singapore on December 8 and Jason leaves December 17.  We have both started counting down the days until our departure. 

  I am also happy to report that Saints and Tiger Nations are alive and well in Singapore!  We have chanted, "Who Dat!" with some New Orleanians in Chinatown and shared updates to the LSU/ULM game with a Tiger fan, clad in purple and gold at the Barclays Golf Tournament last weekend.  We were glad to see some Louisiana folks in Singapore! 

 We have been out and about in Singapore the past few weeks.  Below are some glimpses of our experiences from the Botanic Gardens, Long Beach Restaurant, Bintan (Indonesia), and the Barclays Golf Tournament.

U.S. Embassy in Singapore

On our way to the Botanic Gardens, we passed the U.S. Embassy

Singapore Botanic Gardens

  The 128-acre Botanic Gardens combine part jungle with part planned gardening to make for beautiful and peaceful settings.   It was so pleasant to be in the company of Mother Nature, away from the hustle and bustle of the city--until the rain chased us out.  I guess someone has to water all these plants :)

Enough bananas to feed an army!





Pepper Crab

  After our visit to the gardens, we walked over to Long Beach Restaurant, home of the famous  pepper crab.  The pepper crab, along with the chili crab are two of the more popular crab dishes served in Singapore.  Both dishes serve hard-shelled crab in either a pepper gravy or chili sauce.  Thankfully, we  only ordered a medium-sized crab for the both of us, because we couldn't finish it all (I know my Mom is finding it hard to believe that I left some crab meat uneaten).  We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and can't wait to go back for more given the fact that I could eat crab everyday.

Singapore's famous "pepper" crab and my new favorite Singapore dish.  Jason and I split this one and didn't quite eat it all! 

Bintan, Indonesia

  So our experience in Bintan was not the greatest and our accommodations left a lot to be desired...  Hopefully we can go back and have a better experience next time!

 

Barclays Open 

  Sunday, we attended the 2010 Barclays' Singapore Open Golf Tournament hosted on Sintosa Island, until a deluge of rain canceled play for the day.  All was not lost, as we followed (stalked) Phil Mickelson through his first nine holes.  Play didn't resume until Monday morning.

Jason's co-worker, Eric was in Singapore for a few weeks from Houston and accompanied us to the tournament.

Didn't quite make it on the the fairway

"Get in the hole!"

Phil looking over the hole report on the 18th

On Dempsey Hill...The Week of October 24 in Pictures

  Below are some pictures before the 42nd Anniversary Celebration for the Association of Singapore Marine Industries hosted at the Singapore Fairmont last Friday evening and from our shopping excursion to the charming Dempsey Hill, formerly British army barracks.  Today, Demsey Hill is a popular dinning and shopping hot spot for expats.  We even found a Mexican restaurant to eat at for dinner--crazy!!  Have a good week everyone!

We were thrilled that the tailor was able to have each of our outfits made and altered in a week--just in time for the ASMI Celebration.



The old barracks have been transformed into shops and restaurants





Tawandang Microbrewery -  Thai cuisine and German beer freshly brewed

Jason (not looking too enthused) waiting on his beer from the Thai-German Brewery

An education on rugs...Did you know it may take up to 4-6 months to complete a hand-knotted rug from start to finish?  The more knots/square inch the more expensive the rug.

Rug stores, like tailor shops, can be found in practically every shopping center in Singapore

An Australian gourmet grocery store situated in the heart of Dempsey Hill



Take a Peek Inside...7 Orange Grove Road

At home:
The Nugents
c/o Treetops Executive Residences
7 Orange Grove Road, 03-114
Singapore, 258355

 Now that we are all settled into our home away from home, many of you have asked me to post pictures of our accommodations at Treetops.  Here they are:

This is the floor plan of our 2-bedroom unit.  I really miss having a washer/dryer...there is community wash room for the residents. 
Photo by Treetops

Living Area

Kitchen

I really miss having a conventional oven!!  I almost feel like a kid again using an Easybake Oven!

Dining Area

Master Bedroom

Master again

Pool Area/Grounds
Photo from Treetops



Week of October 18th...A Lot of Eating!

Hey everyone!

  Aside from us recuperating from sore throats/upper respiratory issues and poor air quality this past week, we had a busy and fun-filled week to say the least.  Singapore has been blanketed by a thick haze as a result of fires from neighboring Sumatra Island, Indonesia.  I just haven't felt like dragging the camera with me everywhere...so I am lite on photos for this week.

  Before I forget: A very special Happy Birthday to Aunt Mary!!  Hope you have a wonderful day.



Photo from Channe NewsAsia.com



   Yesterday (Sunday) we had lunch with a couple from Texas (Ryan and Jill) at an American patio restaurant owned/operated by a Louisiana native.   Jason has known Ryan since he began working in Broussard, and Ryan stopped by the Ensco office in Singapore a few weeks back.  After a few attempts, we were finally able to get together for lunch and trade stories of life in Louisiana, Singapore and Texas.  Ryan and Jill were kind enough to show us a few popular areas afterwards.  We had great time with them! 

 

  Jason's general manager arrived in Singapore on Thursday, so he took the project team/spouses to dinner Saturday evening at a Mediterranean-styled establishment, Esmirada along Orchard Road.  We enjoyed our meals thoroughly, but the highlight of the evening came when we were given plates to shatter across the restaurant floor (mine was the only one not to shatter). 



Jason had the beef skewers and I had a pasta dish with steamed clams - photo from Esmirad.com



  Wednesday I had my first AWA outing--a lunch social at an eclectic Italian restaurant, The Verve Bar and Bistro (the gelato was divine).  I enjoyed my meal so much that I took Jason back to the same restaurant Friday evening!  I was a bit nervous attending the AWA event, not knowing anyone; but, the ladies I sat with were very outgoing and easy to converse with. The irony of my afternoon was that I befriended two British ladies, who ditched the British Club to join the American Women's Association because in their words, "American women are more fun" (lol).

  Earlier in the week we received an invitation to a cocktail party on October 28 at the Fairmont.  Along practically every street corner in Singapore you can find a custom tailor shop (many of which I have frequented).  Well this party gave me the perfect excuse to convince Jason that I needed to have a cocktail dress made and he, fitted for a suit.  Since the exchange rate is very favorable to the U.S. dollar and with holiday parties around the corner, Jason didn't resist.  So Tuesday evening we went out to Maharaja's Custom Tailors (we had been to this particular place when we visited Singapore in July and many times since then) to select fabric and dress/suit styles (the possibilities were endless).  This afternoon (Monday) we went for our first fitting and after all the eating we did this past weekend, I was a bit concerned that our measurements might have increased a tad--but all fit to size.   The tailor said he should have our clothing in time for the party Friday night.  Let's hope so!

Maharaja's Custom Tailors

It took a while, but Jason finally found fabric he liked for his suit.

Jason trying on his suit



Sweet Sentosa: The Week(end) in Pictures

  Since Jason was able to take off of work last Saturday, we ventured out to Sentosa Island to escape the hustle and bustle of the city for some leisure time along the water.  Sentosa is an island along the southern border of Singapore, home to one of the famed and majestic Merlions and an array of attractions, entertainment and restaurants. 

  One restaurant in particular almost made us sick (no, not food poisoning) but, homesick!  We stumbled upon the restaurant, Big Easy Cajun Bar and Restaurant, and our mouths began to water. Though we knew the food would not compare to those savory dishes served in New Orleans, the temptation for Cajun food was too great to pass up.  Our lunch left a little to be desired, but the restaurant decor and wall hangings within gave us a little taste of home!

Have a good weekend everyone and enjoy some authentic Cajun food for us!

So after eating lunch at the Big Easy Restaurant, we both left longing for home.

Standing in front of the famed Merlion

The majestic Merlion--the head of a lion and a body of a mermaid



Inside the mouth of the Merlion

South China Sea





This picture sums up our day in Sentosa: beautiful!



View from the sky lift ride

We had Asian cuisine for dinner...

baits is known for their dumplings and they didn't disappoint!

The dough for each dumpling is shaped and folded at least 18 times