Lovin' Long Beach!

   I know this blog entry is a bit redundant from a previous post on the pepper crab, but did I mention how good the pepper crab is??? 

  Sunday was Jason's day to cook.  Not really,  but after Mass Sunday evening, we did have dinner at our favorite local establishment, Long Beach Seafood in Demspey Hill.  Jason's co-worker was in from Houston and also joined us for a delicious meal.   

  We didn't even have to look at a menu to know what to order.  We were there for one item on the menu only--the Black Pepper Crab.  The best part about this entree is that it is served with the claws cracked for you, so you can just dig right in!  We also had a few side Asian-prepared vegetables and fried rice to go along with our crab.  We were so stuffed when it was all said and done.  Who would have thought three grown adults could fill up on one crab alone? 

  Ever tried eating peanuts with chop-sticks??  In Singapore, it is not uncommon for restaurants to serve peanuts to patrons as a complimentary appetizer.  Well, we were served peanuts before our meal, but the trick is to eat the peanuts like the locals do with chopsticks.  Needless to say, I am still honing my chopstick skills and providing entertainment at the dinner table in the process...lol!  Talk about make you look uncoordinated...just try it!

  I am thinking we may have to look up a recipe and prepare this pepper crab dish when we return home to Louisiana for all of you to try.  I am sure you will love it just as much as we do!

Black Pepper Crab!!

Jason, Eric, and me getting ready to indulge...

Jason getting his hands dirty!

Back to blogging...

Happy New Year!

 My sister informed me that I am long overdue for a blog update, so this update is for you Sister Sue...lol!

 After spending a few weeks in Louisiana for the Christmas holidays with family and friends, we are back in Singapore to see what 2011 has in store as we anxiously await official word on where Jason's next assignment will take us.

 Ensco sponsored a New Year's Eve party aboard a yacht for all of its employees, so we rang in 2011 sailing along the South China Sea with several of Jason's colleagues and their families.

 It looks as though our stay in Singapore may be extended by a few additional months.  The first phase of the shipyard project is still scheduled to wrap up in February, but Ensco's top brass has elected to extend the project unto a second phase.   The rig will undergo even further upgrades than initially planned in order to meet specs for its next contract, which will likely keep us in Singapore through May or June. 

 With our extended time in Singapore, we already have plans to travel a little more extensively around this part of the world. We are also hopeful that our additional time in Singapore will allow some of you the opportunity to come visit us--hint, hint!  

Pictures from New Years

Keppel Marina

The Ensco New Years Party was held aboard the Harbour Queen

View leaving the harbour

We stopped off at St. John's Island to enjoy the views of Singapore and fireworks from across the island

Christmas 2010

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