24th of May, 2015
Two dates
I had a nice weekend with two dates :). On Friday I met two of my ex-colleagues in the restaurant called Spruce in Tanglin Road. The place reminds me of P.S. Cafe on Dempsey Hill. Both places have nice terraces surrounded by old trees. I like!
This time the dessert was the best dish. For starters we shared some tapas and for the main I took tuna burger. The dessert was merengue and ice cream. Delicious.
It was so nice to catch up with my friends. In some point of the evening my Finnish ex-collague and me started to do some match making. My Singaporean ex-collague doesn't have a boyfriend at the moment so we tried to think about some suitable option for her. I had someone in my mind so I need to talk to him when I meet him in Finland :). You'll never know what is going to happen.
The other date I had was with my husband. Our sons were with their friends so we took advantage of that. This time we went to movies.
The film was so funny and I laughed a lot. The name of the movie was SPY. It was a comedy and an action movie at the same time. In the main roles were Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham ja Jude Law. I recommend!
After the movie we had a late dinner in Lower East Side which locates on East Coast Road. On this road there are a lot of restaurants. This area is worth of visiting.
Lower East Side is one of our favorite places. This time we took nachos plate and soft tacos. After that we were ready to head home. So that kind of dates we have nowadays :0. No, we had a great time together.
Hope you had a nice weekend too!
Regards, Tiina
17th of May, 2015
Photography training
Today we cycled the same route as about two weeks ago but this time I didn't fall down (I didn't take any photos while I was cycling) and the weather was much better than last time.
I have learnt to like photographing by taking pictures on this blog. Today I was thinking of practicing taking pictures against light. I took a couple of pics from the sun.
I didn't manage to take other pictures against the sun so I started to shoot macro.
Have a nice Sunday!
/Tiina
16th of May, 2015
Quotes
Have a nice weekend!
/Tiina
16th of May, 2015
Quotes
Have a nice weekend!
/Tiina
13th of May, 2015
Unpleasant event on the road
Last week I was watching my son's football game in one of the local schools. When we left the place I didn't realize that the road is a oneway road and I was driving the wrong direction. The road was wide and there was no one until a car drove in front of me. The driver got really mad and started showing hand signs (such as the middle finger) and I just thought to myself what a crazy guy. Of course it was my fault but nothing happened and people make mistakes.
I did not even think about the whole thing until after a while that I realized the same BMW was right next to me and started showing me the middle finger and was mouthing the word "Idiot". Weird behaviour in traffic.
Well after the next turn he decided to drive right in front of me and slow down and I had to stop the car. He finally stopped in the middle of the road and got out of the car and walked to me as I stupidly opened the window. He starts shouting that I am really "arrogant" because I didn't apologize and even broke the law.
I was speechless (which is rare for me) and sat fearful on the driver's seat. I thought he would soon get on to me, but luckily he just continued to shout and and demanded an apology. At least I got to tell him that even though I drove wrong I am not going to say sorry because of the way he is acting.
Then he said again that I broke the law and he will file a police report about this so I was just kind of like whatever and thought I will never apologize to that crazy guy. He then took a picture of the register plate and left. I was quite shocked about the way he was raging at me and the rest of my day was ruined because that was the only thing I could think about. He must have had some anger management problem. A normal person would not act like that, right?
It was a scary experience. Luckily the first and hopefully the last.
Drive safe!
/Tiina
11th of May, 2015
A gift is missing
I knew it already on Thursday when my hubby said that he just realized it is Mother's day on Sunday. Between the lines I read that he'll be too busy to buy me any gift on Friday or Saturday.
Sunday morning came. This time I got congrats and hugs but no gift which I was prepared. Oh, how the world changes... The first time ever no Mother's day gift :(. Last year I got one charm to my Pandora bracelet.
So no gift... Secretly I was disappointed and asked from my husband doesn't he appreciate me because I didn't get any gift. He said that of course he appreciates me but he was too busy to buy the gift and then he made a joke about the matter and said that you are not my mom, heh. I didn't feel like laughing.
I didn't want to make a fuss about that gift thing because all of these twenty years and more he has always remembered my birthdays and wedding anniversaries. He has arranged a surprise trips or bought a gift. Anyway he remembered to wish me Happy Mother's day without a gift but still I was wondering no gift...
We had lunch together in Indian restaurant and ate cake at home. I thought this was not my best Mother's day but still ok. In the evening my husband and the youngest one came with the gift package and my husband said that better later than ever. That was a pleasant surprise :).
Perhaps he saw that the gift thing was important to me. It doesn't have to be anything big just a small nice gesture to have something. Do you agree with me?
Have a nice evening,
Tiina
Ps. About Pandora... I got that one as a farewell gift from my collages in Finland and it included airplane, crown and heart. The rest of the charms I have bought myself or my friends have bought them to me. I like this Pandora because every charms has its on story :).
7th of May, 2015
Happy to play
I'm not a big consumer of coffee but I need to have my morning and afternoon coffee. I like to drink my coffee from a nice cup and not a paper mug. I rarely buy take away coffee because I love to have my coffee break by sitting and not rushing somewhere with a mug in my hand.
Quite often after my afternoon coffee I play with my iPad. All my friends have finished playing Candy Crush a long time ago but I'm still playing it and sometimes something else...
I think playing games runs in the family. My mom plays a lot (she is over 70). For a while she had two mobile phones because the other one she only used for gaming and the other for calling. I always remember when our youngest son came home with his friends and granny was sitting on the sofa and playing some game with her mobile phone and the guys were like is your granny playing games???
A couple of days ago I downloaded one new app that was recommended by my son. It has given me a lot of joy. The name of the game is My Idol and the idea of the game is that you download your picture to the app and then it will scan your face to the game and after that you can modify your look how ever you want to.
So you choose different clothes, eyes, hair and so on to your self. There is only one negative which is that it is in Chinese but this doesn't really bother me because there were instructions with the pictures. It was so much fun. I really recommend this app to everybody to brighten up your day :).
What do you think should I be model because I can make such good poses ;)?
Yeah, right. I can spend my day like this, nice :).
Regards, Tiina
6th of May, 2015
Decision making - help needed
One thing I need to improve is decision making. I know what I want but if
I have two things which are almost the same then it isn't easy anymore. Now I don't know if I should leave my Chinese cabinet the way it is
or should I sand it a little bit to make it look a little bit older? Big decisions ;).
This all started when I yesterday finished my small Chinese flower table. I really like it. Now I need your advice :). Please let me know what would you do. Would you let it be or make it a little bit distressed?
At the same time as I wrote this blog I made up my mind about it but I really do appreciate if you write me comments about this matter. It would be nice to compare your opinions to mine.
Waiting for the comments,
Tiina
Ps. Did you know if you like my Lazy Living In Asia Facebook page my new post will appear on your newsfeed? This is just info for those guys who asked how to follow me easily :).
5th of May, 2015
How to paint a small Chinese table?
In our guest room right next to the door is small Chinese flower table. I haven't liked that one for a long time so today I decided to paint it with the same paint I painted our red Chinese cabinet.
I used Annie Sloan's chalk paint and it is excellent. You don't have to sand anything just paint directly and what's the best thing is that it will dry in about 20 minutes.
Last time when I painted that Chinese cabinet I watched directions from YouTube but this time I didn't have to as I already knew.
This time I wanted my flower table to look old so when the paint had dried I sanded the table a little bit here and there. I think it is pretty cool now ;).
Which table do you like more?
Tomorrow I'll wax the table so it will protect the surface and make it a little bit shiny. I use clear wax but the other alternative is to use dark wax. It depends how you want the finishing to look like.
This was so easy but a fun project that I would like to paint something else but I think I don't have anything else what needs to be painted :(.
Have a nice Tuesday!
Tiina
4th of May, 2015
Interior design in our guest room
Today we had an Ikea day with my friend. I had this feeling that I need to do something about our guest room.
I was thinking to buy some pillow cases and so I did. Our old ones were already bad looking. The pillow case in the middle I bought from H&M in Finland this spring.
When you go to Ikea it's always so that you buy more than what you had in your mind in the first place. It was the same thing this time. I also bought some flowers and flower pot.
When I got home I put some new decoration in front of guest room's window.
When we moved here two years ago we needed to buy a new sofa so that our relatives and friends can come and stay with us. We searched for this sofa for a long time and then we finally found one from BoConcept.
It is very convenient because you can also open only half of the sofa. I'm very satisfied with that and the whole guest room as well except the carpet. It is from our son's room while he still lived at home. Today I was looking Stockholm carpet in Ikea but I think it's too big for that space. Or do they have different sizes?
Have a nice week!
Tiina
3rd of May
Lesson of Sunday
It was so massive thunderstorm with heavy rain and lightning last night that we all woke up. I went for the balcony to take laundry inside but it was already on the floor because of the strong wind.
For the morning we had a plan that my hubby goes cycling and calls me when he is done so that we could cycle for a while together and go for breakfast.
The morning was cloudy which was unusual because usually if it rains at the night time then the morning is sunny. But not today.
When I went to the basement and tried to open my padlock I couldn't open it. I haven't cycled for a long time so the padlock was rusty. I put some oil to it and finally it opened.
We decided to cycle from East Coast along a new cycle road to Garden's by the Bay and have some breakfast there but the restaurants weren't open. We were hungry, especially my husband who had cycled already about 65 km.
So we rode back to East Coast Park and I wanted to take some pictures on the way. I took some but then I noticed that my hubby was hungry and a little bit anxious when we stopped every few minutes and I took the pics.
Well, I thought that I can take some pictures while I'm cycling. What a great idea :0. First everything went ok but then some turn came and I was too close to edge of the cycle road and then I just had time to think that I'm going to fall down...
That was awful situation, I threw my camera to my cycle basket and then I fell down. I hurt my left hand and I couldn't get up and I didn't see my husband. Luckily there were some ladies who came to help me. They were worried if I'm ok. I got back up and then I saw my hubby coming back. He hadn't noticed that I had this little accident. Then we continued cycling but immediately I was feeling bad and I needed to go lie down to one of the benches. I took my time and then I was more or less ok - just felt some pain in my fingers :(.
Lesson of Sunday: don't take pictures while cycling!!!
In the end we found some nice restaurant near our home in East Coast Park.
Have a great Sunday!
/Tiina
28th of April, 2015
Bad hair day
Do you know that feeling when you wake up in the morning and look at to the mirror and you are like OH NO. You have a bad hair day but you are too lazy to wash it or you can wash it but you are too lazy to blow dry it?
Luckily you can always tie the hair. When my hair was tied up, my old colleague said that you have the hairstyle of a lazy person, and I completely agree. I actually have the routine of washing my hair every second day (unless I have been doing sports). The day I wash the hair I let it be open and the next day I will tie it up. This way I can control the bad hair day.
I go outside a lot and even if the air is humid the sun will dry the hair. I have been trying various Japanese brands and they have worked well in this climate.
These days before blow drying my hair I use a volume spray from TIGI and after blow drying I use some oil so that my hair do not go frizzy right away.
And at the end a bit of hairspray from the same brand. Sometimes I use dry shampoo to give more volume to the hair. My mother brought good dry shampoo from Finland and I have been satisfied with it. I need to buy more once I visit in the summer.
For as long as I remember I have always blow dried my hair after washing it. My hair type is silky which is typical in Finland. There is a lot of hair but the hairs are thin. When I have blow dried my hair and gotten it straight I go out to the humid air the hair will lose volume and goes a bit frizzy. Then it already looks like as if I had not done anything to it.
Have a great Tuesday!
Tiina
Ps. There is a big thunder storm around my area right now. It feels like the windows are gonna shatter and the lighting is huge in the background. There are many thunderstorms in Singapore, around 180 days of thunder in a year.
27th of April, 2015
What have I learned while living in Singapore?
When you move abroad you have already accepted that your life will change. You leave behind all the familiar things and you don't know how it is going to be in your new country. The worst thing about leaving is to say goodbye to the relatives and friends but in the other hand you are very anxious to meet all the new people and experience a new culture.
When you live abroad it is going to change you for ever. I wrote down what I have learnt when living in Singapore.
People are the same everywhere
It has been nice to notice that in spite of the nationality parents are proud of their kids or they can get angry to their kids exactly the same way. When I go to the group exercise class sometimes there is one muslim girl with a head scarf attending the same class. Neither a cloth nor religion which make us different. Singpore is a great example of how different cultures can live together in harmony.
Different cultures are different
In different cultures people act differently. For example we westerns when we talk to each other we look at the eyes when we are communicating. In Asia this is not so typical. My friend told me that when their new boss from Europe came to Asia and had one to one discussions with everyone he got a lot of complaints that he looked to much to the eyes when talking.
You need to accept uncertainty
When we lived here as expats and my husband's contract was about to expire we had to wait for several months before we got to know that the company will renew the contract and after that it took a couple of months before the contract was signed. When we finally decided to go back to Finland my husband had to find a new job in Finland.
I feel privileged
In Asia it's very common that there is no pension system and many old people need to work where as the same aged old people in Finland would be retired. I really feel privileged that I can stay home and don't need to work at this age.
I have learnt to be alone
When kids are at school and husband at work I spent a lot of time by myself. Even though I have many friends and hobbies I have learnt to enjoy to be all alone. In Finland I didn't do many things by myself and I always needed to have somebody with me if I went out for example for shopping.
I talk to people
I have always been talkative and it has been easy to get to know new people. I don't know is't me or the other person who starts to talk but here I talk more often with the people whom I don't know. I have also noticed (or known ) that the other nationalities are good in small talk compared to us Finns.
Family is important
Here the family relations are very strong. Kids help their parents economically if they don't get any pension or the pension is small. It's very common that three generations live together and grandparents help taking care of the kids while the parents are working. But my family is also important to me :).
Equality
Finnish women and women in Scandinavia are equal with the men but here in Asia it is the man who is the head of the family.
Waiting for the first of May (in Finnish Vappu) which is the biggest carnival-style festival in Finland. The picture above is from Vappu picnic a couple of years ago. We had some wife-carrying contest going on...
/Tiina
25th of April, 2015
Insomnia?
I haven't thought about insomnia before it gets to your own way. I have been pretty good sleeper all of my life. It doesn't matter if I take a nap I can still get to sleep in the evening. I can easily sleep in the airplane, car or where ever.
Now I'm getting older (I'm not feeling old at all) and I can feel that the cycle of my sleep and quality of the sleep is changing. Sometimes when I wake up in the morning I notice that I have slept like a dog. You know the dream has been so light and I have woken up and then fell asleep again. Not so refreshing feeling in the morning... Luckily our helper can save the day :). Is there a better way to start your day when you have this kind of surprise waiting for you?
Then I can also wake up about three or four o'clock in the morning and can't fall asleep again. All the things come to my mind and that doesn't help to get back to sleep. Then I feel cold or hot and need to go to toilet or something like that. This can easily take about an hour or more.
Sometimes I wake up after five when my husband goes for cycling before work. Then I start to play games on my iPad or read the daily magazine and after that I'll fall asleep and when the alarm clock rings at seven I feel so tired and dizzy...
Well I'm lucky because this is not typical for me so I can't say that I have insomnia. These sleepless nights occur just now and then. But when this happens it's irritating. I'm just thinking those people who really have insomnia...
That must be very tough. I'm doing well because I can take a nap when ever I want to :).
Have a nice Saturday!
Regards, Tiina
24th of April, 2015
Just an other Friday
Friday began like any other Friday and felt that I haven't been on vacation at all.
Every Friday I go to Muscle Mania class instructed by young Japanese looking Ninja. The class is very tough and and I really noticed that I have missed all the classes for one week. I needed to take it easily or other wise I couldn't have finished the class.
My Brazilian classmate
In the afternoon I went for mani and pedi. I have bought a set to this beauty salon and still every time they try to sell me something in addition. Not so nice... I bought the set because then it feels like having mani and pedi for free, hahah. They did amazing nail art to my big toes, or what do you think?
When I came home it was time to check what I had bought from Bali. I had promised to myself not to buy any decorations to the house but when I saw that owl below I couldn't resist... I really love it and then I saw those pineapples... I have seen those earlier in some interior design magazines and it was a shame that I couldn't have the pineapples in the same color but anyway I think they are ok like that.
From the airport we bought one bottle of Moet and with it came some jewelry or what ever... I really don't know the purpose of that. Do you have any ideas what it is?
Oh, that wasn't all what I bought. I bought some nice scarfs, jewelry, pants, sandals, T-shirts for the boys and a little bit more.
Have a great weekend :)
/Tiina
22nd of April, 2015
Feeling guilty in Bali
Even though I have enjoyed my lazy days in Bali I have thought how our sons manage in Singapore. I know that they are doing well but still..
It was Sunday evening when our middle one called and said that he is not feeling well. He had a flu and high fever. Typical! It wasn't the first time when we are traveling and one of the boys becomes sick. One son is sick at home and mom is just lying on the beach... Not nice!
If one son is sick of course the other one will be as well. So two were at home and I was still on the beach and feeling guilty. I think this is mom's role.
Tomorrow we are heading back home which is nice even though the boys are well already. I missed them and usually they say the same when we meet but when I'm leaving from their rooms they say that please close the door behind you. Well, well. I think this it when the children grow up...
Juice station
Remember to eat you veggies!
Regards, Tiina
PS. I took the pictures from our breakfast buffet in Sofitel Bali.
20th of April, 2015
People in Bali
Is it a third or fourth day here in Bali? I don't know somehow the time doesn't exist here. Bali has mystical magic which I haven't experienced in any other place. People here are also extremely kind and very talkative.
The most people in Bali are Hindus even though most people in Indonesia are muslims. Bali has its own Hindu-Balinese culture. Ceremonies and rituals maintain the balance between good and bad.
Ordinary people in Bali work hard and sometimes I feel bad about that. We westerns are pretty privileged and we need to be thankful and not complain about the small things.
Below you can see pictures from the ladies I talked to.
Sometimes I feel that time has stopped here.
Warm wishes from the other side of equator!
/Tiina
13th of April, 2015
Beautiful old shophouses and a hindu temple
There are many good things in Singapore but I think I mostly enjoy the warmth and the sun. I always feel cold in Finland so I don't mind the heat and I prefer to suffer more from the heat than the cold.
Almost everyday it is sunny here in Singapore and that's why the colors feel and look different. Rarely you can see people wearing just black or other dark colors ( except my son :) ).
Even some houses can be colorful like the Peranakan shophouses you can see in the picture below. The Peranakan culture was born when Chinese immigrants married non-Muslim locals from the Malay Archipelago. Peranakans lived in many places in Singapore but their heritage is seen here in the east Joo Chiat, in Katong.
These houses are quite near our home and I can't stop admiring them and all the details when ever I pass by them.
Even closer to us are some old shophouses too and in the middle of it there is the second oldest hindu temple in Singapore. It has just been renovated and it has a lot beautiful and colorful details.
This is pretty typical in Singapore. Different cultures live side by side and the hindu temple can be in the middle of Chinese people. Like in Chinatown which is mostly inhabited by Chinese there is also a hindu temple in which Indians mainly visit.
Have a nice week!
Tiina
12th of April, 2015
Sweaty day in the jungle
Today we went to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve for a hike. The day was hot and sunny so we put some sun cream, insect repellant and took a couple of bottles of water and off we went.
Before we started the natural trail we saw a snake on the road. Our youngest son shouted there is a snake. First we thought he is joking as always but then I saw it. It was a small one and only a little bit venomous painted bronzeback. My son said he won't make a jokes about snakes anymore. He learnt his lesson :).
After that it wasn't so nice to start walking on the forest path...
It was very tranquil on in the nature. We didn't see anyone on the path except one monitor lizard. I didn't to manage to take a picture because it was too quick.
I love to watch plants which grow in the nature and in Finland we have some of them only in the pots.
It was sweaty day today so after the walk we went to the pool.
Cheers,
Tiina
11th of April, 2015
New coffee tables
I don't know why I'm so into interior design. I browse interior design magazines and look at Pinterest trying to find new ideas how to decorate home even though I don't need anything.
Last time when I bought art work and buddha I decided not to buy anything for a while but what happened then.. I went to some furniture store and bought two coffee tables, oops. They are totally different than the one we had before. Now the living room furniture looks more light and I was able to take my butterfly chair from the balcony to inside.
The only problem is where to put our old coffee table because our storage is already full.
Now when our living room is done I start to look at all the small things there. Do you know that feeling that you need to put this pot there and something else next to it and everything need to be set on the right way? I tried to explain this to my husband but he just looked at me blankly so no response from that direction... I don't mind I just keep doing my own things :).
In the picture you can see sake bottle that my husband got from his collage from Japan. Looks quite nice, right?
We have a lot of plants on the balcony and suddenly I noticed that we don't have any plants in our living room. So I bought those small plants and brought that wooden box from Finland. It's from H&M home. We have H&M here in Singapore but not H&M home :(.
I found this little fellow from the balcony when I was taking a photo there.
It's dinner time. I can smell so good flavors from the kitchen that I can't write any more.
Have fun and enjoy your life :)
Tiina
10th of April
Local shops, stalls and food court
A couple of days ago I took pictures from skyscrapers and tourist attractions. Now I want to show you pictures from local areas and how the life is there. I took these photos from Marine Parade but you can find those kinds of places all over Singapore.
Singaporeans love to eat in food courts or take meals away. It is very cheap to eat there but if you want to eat western food in the restaura there the prices are way more expensive.
Where there is a food court there are usually a lot of small stalls and shops that sell clothes, kitchen ware, jewelry, bags and all kinds of small stuffs. Perhaps the style in clothes are a little bit different than what I like :0.
Instead of clothing I like to buy some household stuff. They have so many things that I didn't even know exist.
You can find a lot of services in the neighborhood like beauty salons, hair dressers and so on. The price level is cheaper here than in big shopping malls.
I haven't tried those hair dressers myself because the western hair type is totally different from an Asian one. It is better to go to places where you can see other western people because I have seen that one of my friends hair was pink when she was done in the hair salon, oops.
Have a nice Friday!
Tiina
8th of April, 2015
Scarfs and sarongs
Today I had lunch with my friends in the city. In the morning I was thinking what to wear and the first thing that came to my mind was a scarf. I really love scarfs but it is difficult to wear them here because outside it is always too hot. Inside they are ok due to the cold air-conditioning inside the buildings. This is totally opposite of what I'm used to in Finland.
I couldn't wear that scarf on the balcony for a long time because I felt so sweaty after five minutes.
When I came back from lunch I decided to clean my cabinets. We are heading to Bali next week and I needed to know what kind of sarongs I have. I found a couple of those.
The first and the third sarong from right are from our holiday to Krabi last Christmas. Those sarongs were printed by hand by some of the famous artist in Thailand. On the New Year's dinner we won the the third sarong from the right as well the first price which was a 2 night stay in the private villa in that same resort. Lucky us :).
In the afternoon I also checked my scarfs and put all the warm pashminas to our storage and kept the thinner scarfs.
My favorite scarf is the scarf which my mom gave me last autumn as a birthday gift. It is from Finland and the brand is Pia's design.
An other scarf which I love and use a lot is from Luxembourg and I bought it last year on a business trip. The scarf under it is the silk scarf from my husband and he bought it when he was on business there. I only use and took pictures from the scarfs that I like.
Have you heard that every woman should have one white shirt in her closet?
Then it is easy to combine that shirt to your other outfits. That's what has been said in all the women's magazines, right? In the picture below you can see my white Ralph Lauren's shirt and the scarf from Ivo Nikkolo, Estonia.
Have nice and sunny spring days!
Tiina
7th of April, 2015
Pictures from Singapore
A few days ago I had lunch with my ex-collage. We met in the Central Business District (CBD). On my way there I took some pictures.
The symbol of Singapore is Merlion. It is half a lion and half a fish. It is one of the Singapore's many tourist attractions. Merlion stands there in One Fullerton.
Actually I think Singapore have five statues of Merlion but this one is the most famous.
Opposite of Merlion there is Marina Bay Sands, the pride of Singapore. It consists of three towers and on top of it is "a ship". In Marina Bay Sands there are hotel, shopping mall, casino, conference centre and lots of restaurants. On the highest floor there is an alfresco restaurant and bar called Ku De Ta. From there you can see all over Singapore and the view is amazing!
On one side of the Merlion is Esplanade Theatre and on the other side you can see CBD. In the picture below you can see the funny shaped spiky building which is Esplanade Theatre. They look like a fruit called Durian. Durian smells very strongly (in my opinion it's quite bad smell) and it is forbidden to bring durian e.g. to the airplane. Local people they just love it but I can't say the same.
It is crazy when ever you see the pictures from Singapore they are always about the sky scrapers but in this island there is a lot more... Now I realize I'm doing exactly the same. Perhaps I need to go and take some pictures from the other places in Singapore as well.
Near the river there are lots of restaurants and bars. At the day time they are empty but when the evening comes they are full of people.
If you don't feel like going to any restaurant or bar you can take a river cruise.
In the same area there is this nice candy and ice cream bar.
Have a sweet day!
Tiina
6th of April, 2015
Singaporean food
I do yoga every Monday. It's good to have routine for exercise then you don't miss it so easily. I haven't been in yoga for two weeks. First week I was in Finland and last week I was busy taking care of the house because our helper was on holiday (bad excuse). So happy that our helper is back I have time to do my own things :).
Sometimes after yoga I have typical Singaporean breakfast in the local cafe.
The breakfast consists of a couple of Kaya toast ( it is a spread made of coconut), local coffee and two soft boiled eggs. On the top of the eggs you can add salt, white pepper and soya sauce and then you dip the toast into the eggs, yummy. I need to have this kind of breakfast every now and then.
Usually after yoga I come home and start to write my blog. Time flies when I'm writing. When I'm finished it is usually lunch time. My other favorite Singaporean dish is Chicken Rice. On the top of the dish you pour some soya and chili sauce.
In the picture below you can see pour chickens hanging and waiting to be eaten.
If you ever come to Singapore I recommend that you taste juice made from fresh fruits. It is really delicious. Today I drank mixed fruit juice made of pineapple and green apple. Sooo good.
Our helper is an excellent cook. Today we ate sweet and sour chicken requested by the boys. It was as good as always.
Enjoy your Easter break!
Tiina
5th of March, 2015
Skiing in Hakuba near Nagano
It doesn't feel like Easter at all. The only holiday was on Friday and we were golfing in Malaysia but it wasn't long ago when we had a holiday and we were skiing in Hakuba near Nagano.
You can drive from Tokyo to Hakuba. It takes about four hours. If you don't rent a car you can also take a bus or train or even a combination with those. If you want to spend some time in Tokyo before skiing you can send your luggage and skis from the airport to your hotel. There you have some info
We had one stop from Tokyo to Hakuba. Our youngest son was worried because there wasn't much snow on the way so he thought that we can't ski.
When we arrived there were so much snow that we haven't ever seen and we come from Finland. In the village there were about three meters or more snow.
The hotel was really good: Sierra Resort Hotel Hakuba . The service was excellent and we felt at home. Every day they served soup on the terrace. In the evenings there were soft drinks, tea, coffee and wine in the lobby.
In the hotel there were shuttle buses between the hotel and the slopes and in the evenings between the hotel and the restaurants.
And what was the best was that they had their own onsen (Japanese spa). It was so lovely to go to the hot springs after skiing the whole day. Very relaxing!
When we were there it felt like we were in Finland. The slopes were longer but the scenery reminded us from Lapland. The snow in Japan is very light and it's easy to ski in powder.
The last night we had dinner in a restaurant that was the home of an old couple. They didn't speak any English. We had ordered sukiyaki in advance.
The husband was the cook and the wife was the waitress. They were so polite. The food was excellent but it was too much. We hardly finished the half of it.
I really like Japan. Everything works there, people are nice even though they don't speak English and the food is super good.
Cheers,
Tiina
2nd of April, 2015
Day at home with the boys
This day I spent doing chores and waiting for the painting. I think that interior design can stop for a while.. Otherwise there will be too many things in my house and it would feel claustrophobic.
I was able to get my sons to do some chores without any major disputes. Strange. The younger one did the dishes.
The teen vacuumed with his phone, typical. Cannot lose connection to friends for a second. Looks very effective. But I'm not complaining, main point is that he cleaned :).
The painting arrived during the day and it's very big :). What do you think of the painting?
Oh yeah, I also bought a nightstand that I've been looking for quite a while. So I bought this small Chinese one. Am I going to end up collecting these again just when I got rid of the biggest one? No, this was just an exception because it fit so perfectly.
I could not exactly find a place for the buddha so I tried it on the stool. I don't know really if it is good on it or not. I need to bring some items to the other room as the living room is looking too filled.
Im still happy with the Buddha though and it is a bit bigger. Last time I bought a Sumo wrestler in Japan.
We have had a fun week taking care of our friends dog Raksu. He follows me everywhere, even now as I write he lays next to me on the floor.
This Thursday I didn't go golfing but that is alright because tomorrow we are going to Malaysia to play for a couple of days. Fun!
Happy Easter!
Tiina
1st of April, 2015
Interior design to my friend
My blog gave me a small project. I am helping to design the interior of my friend's house. Last weekend we came up with ideas and this week I have been roaming some design stores to find the right furniture. It is a dream job for me.
There is only one disadvantage for me. As I look for the furniture for my friend's house I end up looking up furniture for my house as well. Yesterday I already bought one painting, a big painting that I have been looking for since 2004 :0. I will post some pictures once it is on the wall. Painting below is from the same artist.
I also found some small buddhas. I am not very religious but strangely I end up buying buddhas. I had to buy it. It was pretty heavy as I carried to the car. Luckily I go to body pump, heh.
I found a nice table for my bedroom but I don't have any space for that :(.
I was asked to look for big mirrors and I found a nice one, and another which might be too small for its purpose.
At home I have a white butterfly chair and I found a leather one today. I've wanted one of these for a while, and when I visited Finland my sister said she had ordered one like this. Telepathy!! This one does not fit for our house though.
I also went to look for some Chinese side tables and I found a lot but one that caught my eye was this green box which goes well with the green ladder that we have. I would not have bought anything but my youngest said it will fit too nicely to our ladder.
The story of the ladder is that every Chinese house should have the ladder which help the person to keep pushing on in life and follow their career.
So if you need a interior designer just contact me :)
Tiina
31st of March, 2015
Sunsets
Today was a busy day and I'm writing the blog quite late. I started to look at the photos for todays blogs and ended up looking at old photos. So typical, start doing something and end up doing something different.
None of my family have really been into taking photos and mostly I have been the one to do so. Mostly the photos we take are from vacations and parties. But I realized that I have taken photos of sunsets of almost every
vacation. Here you can see some of them.
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Bali, Indonesia
Ikaalinen, Finland
Kota Kinabalu, Borneo (Malaysia)
Singapore
I noticed that I haven't taken any pictures from the moon... Perhaps I need to start next holiday :).
30th of March, 2015
Taking care of the dog and Chinese food
It has been a nice day even though I cleaned the master bedroom. The boys have holiday the whole week and we'll take care of our friends dog.
We were in East Coast Park with the dog.
We had our lunch in our favorite restaurant Din Tai Fung.
For starters we ordered chili cucumbers and duck rolls. In the picture there are also spicy dumplings.
I don't understand how so simple than fried rice and egg can be so delicious.
Dumplings which you can dip into vinegar and ginger sauce.
The last dish was spinach which the boys dislike :(.
For the dessert we went to food court to buy some tutus. They are small rice cakes made of rice flour. Inside there are peanuts or coconut, yammy.
I think now I can manage for tomorrow :).
Regards,Tiina
29th of March, 2015
Mexican dinner with the family
When we lived in Finland we used to cook together on weekends. My spouse was a chef and I was just an assistant chef. Nowadays my helper has stepped over me and I don't have any role in the kitchen. Our helper being on holiday we thought that we can cook together. So we started together but then I decided to wash the dishes and do some cleaning. Then my husband ended up cooking alone...
My husband did some guacamole:
4 avocados
half of red onion
cherry tomatoes
garlic gloves
lime juice
coriander
salt, chilli
He also cooked meat fajitas:
ribeye
salt
black pepper
chili
onion
capsicums
tortillas or wraps
Fry the capsicums on the pan. Add salt and black pepper after the capsicums are ready. Put them to the oven at 150 degrees. Let them be there until the meat is ready. After frying add salt, black pepper and chili.
Heat the tortillas or wraps on the pan.
Serve and enjoy :).
The dinner was excellent. It's easy to say because I didn't do anything...
I really like desserts. This time we bought some tiramisu, a piece of mango cake and cheese cake.
We also drank some Japanese whisky. Usually I don't like whisky but Japanese whisky is totally different: smooth, soft, tasty and not bitter.
Have a happy working week ahead!
Br, Tiina :)
28th of March, 2015
About new outfits
Just wondering here what kind of things you would like to read here in my blog.
Should I write more about Singapore, traveling, interior design, fashion..? Don't hesitate to tell your opinions to me :).
Today I was thinking of adding some of my new outfits here. I like to read and see about those in other blogs. I asked my youngest son to be my photographer (surprisingly the others were not interested :0 ) It felt odd posing for a photo. My son said I was a natural.. It was difficult, I would not make a model.
These pants I bought from Marc o'Polo when I was in Finland. They feel nice when I put them on as the material is a bit thinner and more lose for a change.
These ones I bought from the dark store where good looking young models are standing at the entry with their shirts off. It's more of a teenager store I think but I find some nice clothes for myself as well.
At least my photographer was relaxed when I took a photo.
Here are my black jogger pants which I bought from the same dark store... The shirt I bought a long time ago fro DKNY and I've liked it a lot. It fits perfect for this climate.
Have a nice Saturday!
25th of March, 2015
Back to Singapore
I'm back and household chores started immediately. Our maid is on vacation for about a couple of weeks. This is going to be tough ;). It is very common here in Singapore that everybody has helpers.
Today I needed to vacuum, do laundry, go grocery shopping, make dinner and wash the dishes. Not in many places here they have dish washers... I was all sweaty before I got everything done.
Anyway I already had time to go to the manicure. There was a new girl and I asked her to do some nail art to my big toes. She drew flowers which are not my favorite but this time I think they are pretty cool.
When I got home I noticed that my son had sent a message which said that why don't you answer to my phone call. Right... I haven't heard. The whole week in Finland I tried to call him. He didn't pick the call or call back to me. Sigh! But I think it is always like this that mom needs to be available 24/7. Does this sound familiar?
I really noticed that our helper was absent when I looked at to my teenager's room.
I got a new pasta recipe from my sister. I would like to do that but it was absolutely no from the boys. They asked pasta bolognese but not with spaghetti. Should be some other pasta. The kids are very old fashioned. Everything has to be the same way... always. You can see the meal in the picture. Not gourmet food but very tasty :).
I set the table nicely. I brought from Finland six gray Teema-plates. It was so lovely to eat from new plates instead of my old white Arctica-plates.
Tomorrow is my golf day, nice.
Have fun,
Tiina
24th of May, 2015
Two dates
I had a nice weekend with two dates :). On Friday I met two of my ex-colleagues in the restaurant called Spruce in Tanglin Road. The place reminds me of P.S. Cafe on Dempsey Hill. Both places have nice terraces surrounded by old trees. I like!
This time the dessert was the best dish. For starters we shared some tapas and for the main I took tuna burger. The dessert was merengue and ice cream. Delicious.
It was so nice to catch up with my friends. In some point of the evening my Finnish ex-collague and me started to do some match making. My Singaporean ex-collague doesn't have a boyfriend at the moment so we tried to think about some suitable option for her. I had someone in my mind so I need to talk to him when I meet him in Finland :). You'll never know what is going to happen.
The other date I had was with my husband. Our sons were with their friends so we took advantage of that. This time we went to movies.
The film was so funny and I laughed a lot. The name of the movie was SPY. It was a comedy and an action movie at the same time. In the main roles were Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham ja Jude Law. I recommend!
After the movie we had a late dinner in Lower East Side which locates on East Coast Road. On this road there are a lot of restaurants. This area is worth of visiting.
Lower East Side is one of our favorite places. This time we took nachos plate and soft tacos. After that we were ready to head home. So that kind of dates we have nowadays :0. No, we had a great time together.
Hope you had a nice weekend too!
Photography training
Today we cycled the same route as about two weeks ago but this time I didn't fall down (I didn't take any photos while I was cycling) and the weather was much better than last time.
I have learnt to like photographing by taking pictures on this blog. Today I was thinking of practicing taking pictures against light. I took a couple of pics from the sun.
I didn't manage to take other pictures against the sun so I started to shoot macro.
Have a nice Sunday!
/Tiina
13th of May, 2015
Unpleasant event on the road
Last week I was watching my son's football game in one of the local schools. When we left the place I didn't realize that the road is a oneway road and I was driving the wrong direction. The road was wide and there was no one until a car drove in front of me. The driver got really mad and started showing hand signs (such as the middle finger) and I just thought to myself what a crazy guy. Of course it was my fault but nothing happened and people make mistakes.
I did not even think about the whole thing until after a while that I realized the same BMW was right next to me and started showing me the middle finger and was mouthing the word "Idiot". Weird behaviour in traffic.
Well after the next turn he decided to drive right in front of me and slow down and I had to stop the car. He finally stopped in the middle of the road and got out of the car and walked to me as I stupidly opened the window. He starts shouting that I am really "arrogant" because I didn't apologize and even broke the law.
I was speechless (which is rare for me) and sat fearful on the driver's seat. I thought he would soon get on to me, but luckily he just continued to shout and and demanded an apology. At least I got to tell him that even though I drove wrong I am not going to say sorry because of the way he is acting.
Then he said again that I broke the law and he will file a police report about this so I was just kind of like whatever and thought I will never apologize to that crazy guy. He then took a picture of the register plate and left. I was quite shocked about the way he was raging at me and the rest of my day was ruined because that was the only thing I could think about. He must have had some anger management problem. A normal person would not act like that, right?
It was a scary experience. Luckily the first and hopefully the last.
Drive safe!
/Tiina
11th of May, 2015
A gift is missing
I knew it already on Thursday when my hubby said that he just realized it is Mother's day on Sunday. Between the lines I read that he'll be too busy to buy me any gift on Friday or Saturday.
Sunday morning came. This time I got congrats and hugs but no gift which I was prepared. Oh, how the world changes... The first time ever no Mother's day gift :(. Last year I got one charm to my Pandora bracelet.
So no gift... Secretly I was disappointed and asked from my husband doesn't he appreciate me because I didn't get any gift. He said that of course he appreciates me but he was too busy to buy the gift and then he made a joke about the matter and said that you are not my mom, heh. I didn't feel like laughing.
I didn't want to make a fuss about that gift thing because all of these twenty years and more he has always remembered my birthdays and wedding anniversaries. He has arranged a surprise trips or bought a gift. Anyway he remembered to wish me Happy Mother's day without a gift but still I was wondering no gift...
We had lunch together in Indian restaurant and ate cake at home. I thought this was not my best Mother's day but still ok. In the evening my husband and the youngest one came with the gift package and my husband said that better later than ever. That was a pleasant surprise :).
Perhaps he saw that the gift thing was important to me. It doesn't have to be anything big just a small nice gesture to have something. Do you agree with me?
Have a nice evening,
Tiina
Ps. About Pandora... I got that one as a farewell gift from my collages in Finland and it included airplane, crown and heart. The rest of the charms I have bought myself or my friends have bought them to me. I like this Pandora because every charms has its on story :).
7th of May, 2015
Happy to play
I'm not a big consumer of coffee but I need to have my morning and afternoon coffee. I like to drink my coffee from a nice cup and not a paper mug. I rarely buy take away coffee because I love to have my coffee break by sitting and not rushing somewhere with a mug in my hand.
Quite often after my afternoon coffee I play with my iPad. All my friends have finished playing Candy Crush a long time ago but I'm still playing it and sometimes something else...
I think playing games runs in the family. My mom plays a lot (she is over 70). For a while she had two mobile phones because the other one she only used for gaming and the other for calling. I always remember when our youngest son came home with his friends and granny was sitting on the sofa and playing some game with her mobile phone and the guys were like is your granny playing games???
A couple of days ago I downloaded one new app that was recommended by my son. It has given me a lot of joy. The name of the game is My Idol and the idea of the game is that you download your picture to the app and then it will scan your face to the game and after that you can modify your look how ever you want to.
So you choose different clothes, eyes, hair and so on to your self. There is only one negative which is that it is in Chinese but this doesn't really bother me because there were instructions with the pictures. It was so much fun. I really recommend this app to everybody to brighten up your day :).
What do you think should I be model because I can make such good poses ;)?
Yeah, right. I can spend my day like this, nice :).
Regards, Tiina
6th of May, 2015
Decision making - help needed
One thing I need to improve is decision making. I know what I want but if
I have two things which are almost the same then it isn't easy anymore. Now I don't know if I should leave my Chinese cabinet the way it is
or should I sand it a little bit to make it look a little bit older? Big decisions ;).
This all started when I yesterday finished my small Chinese flower table. I really like it. Now I need your advice :). Please let me know what would you do. Would you let it be or make it a little bit distressed?
5th of May, 2015
How to paint a small Chinese table?
In our guest room right next to the door is small Chinese flower table. I haven't liked that one for a long time so today I decided to paint it with the same paint I painted our red Chinese cabinet.
4th of May, 2015
Interior design in our guest room
Today we had an Ikea day with my friend. I had this feeling that I need to do something about our guest room.
I was thinking to buy some pillow cases and so I did. Our old ones were already bad looking. The pillow case in the middle I bought from H&M in Finland this spring.
When you go to Ikea it's always so that you buy more than what you had in your mind in the first place. It was the same thing this time. I also bought some flowers and flower pot.
When I got home I put some new decoration in front of guest room's window.
When we moved here two years ago we needed to buy a new sofa so that our relatives and friends can come and stay with us. We searched for this sofa for a long time and then we finally found one from BoConcept.
It is very convenient because you can also open only half of the sofa. I'm very satisfied with that and the whole guest room as well except the carpet. It is from our son's room while he still lived at home. Today I was looking Stockholm carpet in Ikea but I think it's too big for that space. Or do they have different sizes?
Have a nice week!
Tiina
3rd of May
Lesson of Sunday
It was so massive thunderstorm with heavy rain and lightning last night that we all woke up. I went for the balcony to take laundry inside but it was already on the floor because of the strong wind.
For the morning we had a plan that my hubby goes cycling and calls me when he is done so that we could cycle for a while together and go for breakfast.
The morning was cloudy which was unusual because usually if it rains at the night time then the morning is sunny. But not today.
When I went to the basement and tried to open my padlock I couldn't open it. I haven't cycled for a long time so the padlock was rusty. I put some oil to it and finally it opened.
We decided to cycle from East Coast along a new cycle road to Garden's by the Bay and have some breakfast there but the restaurants weren't open. We were hungry, especially my husband who had cycled already about 65 km.
So we rode back to East Coast Park and I wanted to take some pictures on the way. I took some but then I noticed that my hubby was hungry and a little bit anxious when we stopped every few minutes and I took the pics.
Well, I thought that I can take some pictures while I'm cycling. What a great idea :0. First everything went ok but then some turn came and I was too close to edge of the cycle road and then I just had time to think that I'm going to fall down...
That was awful situation, I threw my camera to my cycle basket and then I fell down. I hurt my left hand and I couldn't get up and I didn't see my husband. Luckily there were some ladies who came to help me. They were worried if I'm ok. I got back up and then I saw my hubby coming back. He hadn't noticed that I had this little accident. Then we continued cycling but immediately I was feeling bad and I needed to go lie down to one of the benches. I took my time and then I was more or less ok - just felt some pain in my fingers :(.
Lesson of Sunday: don't take pictures while cycling!!!
In the end we found some nice restaurant near our home in East Coast Park.
Have a great Sunday!
/Tiina
28th of April, 2015
Bad hair day
Do you know that feeling when you wake up in the morning and look at to the mirror and you are like OH NO. You have a bad hair day but you are too lazy to wash it or you can wash it but you are too lazy to blow dry it?
Luckily you can always tie the hair. When my hair was tied up, my old colleague said that you have the hairstyle of a lazy person, and I completely agree. I actually have the routine of washing my hair every second day (unless I have been doing sports). The day I wash the hair I let it be open and the next day I will tie it up. This way I can control the bad hair day.
I go outside a lot and even if the air is humid the sun will dry the hair. I have been trying various Japanese brands and they have worked well in this climate.
These days before blow drying my hair I use a volume spray from TIGI and after blow drying I use some oil so that my hair do not go frizzy right away.
And at the end a bit of hairspray from the same brand. Sometimes I use dry shampoo to give more volume to the hair. My mother brought good dry shampoo from Finland and I have been satisfied with it. I need to buy more once I visit in the summer.
For as long as I remember I have always blow dried my hair after washing it. My hair type is silky which is typical in Finland. There is a lot of hair but the hairs are thin. When I have blow dried my hair and gotten it straight I go out to the humid air the hair will lose volume and goes a bit frizzy. Then it already looks like as if I had not done anything to it.
Ps. There is a big thunder storm around my area right now. It feels like the windows are gonna shatter and the lighting is huge in the background. There are many thunderstorms in Singapore, around 180 days of thunder in a year.
27th of April, 2015
What have I learned while living in Singapore?
When you move abroad you have already accepted that your life will change. You leave behind all the familiar things and you don't know how it is going to be in your new country. The worst thing about leaving is to say goodbye to the relatives and friends but in the other hand you are very anxious to meet all the new people and experience a new culture.
When you live abroad it is going to change you for ever. I wrote down what I have learnt when living in Singapore.
People are the same everywhere
It has been nice to notice that in spite of the nationality parents are proud of their kids or they can get angry to their kids exactly the same way. When I go to the group exercise class sometimes there is one muslim girl with a head scarf attending the same class. Neither a cloth nor religion which make us different. Singpore is a great example of how different cultures can live together in harmony.
Different cultures are different
In different cultures people act differently. For example we westerns when we talk to each other we look at the eyes when we are communicating. In Asia this is not so typical. My friend told me that when their new boss from Europe came to Asia and had one to one discussions with everyone he got a lot of complaints that he looked to much to the eyes when talking.
You need to accept uncertainty
When we lived here as expats and my husband's contract was about to expire we had to wait for several months before we got to know that the company will renew the contract and after that it took a couple of months before the contract was signed. When we finally decided to go back to Finland my husband had to find a new job in Finland.
I feel privileged
In Asia it's very common that there is no pension system and many old people need to work where as the same aged old people in Finland would be retired. I really feel privileged that I can stay home and don't need to work at this age.
I have learnt to be alone
When kids are at school and husband at work I spent a lot of time by myself. Even though I have many friends and hobbies I have learnt to enjoy to be all alone. In Finland I didn't do many things by myself and I always needed to have somebody with me if I went out for example for shopping.
I talk to people
I have always been talkative and it has been easy to get to know new people. I don't know is't me or the other person who starts to talk but here I talk more often with the people whom I don't know. I have also noticed (or known ) that the other nationalities are good in small talk compared to us Finns.
Family is important
Here the family relations are very strong. Kids help their parents economically if they don't get any pension or the pension is small. It's very common that three generations live together and grandparents help taking care of the kids while the parents are working. But my family is also important to me :).
Equality
Finnish women and women in Scandinavia are equal with the men but here in Asia it is the man who is the head of the family.
Waiting for the first of May (in Finnish Vappu) which is the biggest carnival-style festival in Finland. The picture above is from Vappu picnic a couple of years ago. We had some wife-carrying contest going on...
Insomnia?
I haven't thought about insomnia before it gets to your own way. I have been pretty good sleeper all of my life. It doesn't matter if I take a nap I can still get to sleep in the evening. I can easily sleep in the airplane, car or where ever.
Then I can also wake up about three or four o'clock in the morning and can't fall asleep again. All the things come to my mind and that doesn't help to get back to sleep. Then I feel cold or hot and need to go to toilet or something like that. This can easily take about an hour or more.
Sometimes I wake up after five when my husband goes for cycling before work. Then I start to play games on my iPad or read the daily magazine and after that I'll fall asleep and when the alarm clock rings at seven I feel so tired and dizzy...
Well I'm lucky because this is not typical for me so I can't say that I have insomnia. These sleepless nights occur just now and then. But when this happens it's irritating. I'm just thinking those people who really have insomnia...
That must be very tough. I'm doing well because I can take a nap when ever I want to :).
Have a nice Saturday!
Regards, Tiina
24th of April, 2015
Just an other Friday
Friday began like any other Friday and felt that I haven't been on vacation at all.
Every Friday I go to Muscle Mania class instructed by young Japanese looking Ninja. The class is very tough and and I really noticed that I have missed all the classes for one week. I needed to take it easily or other wise I couldn't have finished the class.
In the afternoon I went for mani and pedi. I have bought a set to this beauty salon and still every time they try to sell me something in addition. Not so nice... I bought the set because then it feels like having mani and pedi for free, hahah. They did amazing nail art to my big toes, or what do you think?
When I came home it was time to check what I had bought from Bali. I had promised to myself not to buy any decorations to the house but when I saw that owl below I couldn't resist... I really love it and then I saw those pineapples... I have seen those earlier in some interior design magazines and it was a shame that I couldn't have the pineapples in the same color but anyway I think they are ok like that.
Have a great weekend :)
/Tiina
22nd of April, 2015
Feeling guilty in Bali
Even though I have enjoyed my lazy days in Bali I have thought how our sons manage in Singapore. I know that they are doing well but still..
It was Sunday evening when our middle one called and said that he is not feeling well. He had a flu and high fever. Typical! It wasn't the first time when we are traveling and one of the boys becomes sick. One son is sick at home and mom is just lying on the beach... Not nice!
If one son is sick of course the other one will be as well. So two were at home and I was still on the beach and feeling guilty. I think this is mom's role.
Tomorrow we are heading back home which is nice even though the boys are well already. I missed them and usually they say the same when we meet but when I'm leaving from their rooms they say that please close the door behind you. Well, well. I think this it when the children grow up...
Remember to eat you veggies!
Regards, Tiina
PS. I took the pictures from our breakfast buffet in Sofitel Bali.
20th of April, 2015
People in Bali
Is it a third or fourth day here in Bali? I don't know somehow the time doesn't exist here. Bali has mystical magic which I haven't experienced in any other place. People here are also extremely kind and very talkative.
The most people in Bali are Hindus even though most people in Indonesia are muslims. Bali has its own Hindu-Balinese culture. Ceremonies and rituals maintain the balance between good and bad.
Ordinary people in Bali work hard and sometimes I feel bad about that. We westerns are pretty privileged and we need to be thankful and not complain about the small things.
Below you can see pictures from the ladies I talked to.
Warm wishes from the other side of equator!
/Tiina
Have a nice week!
Tiina
I love to watch plants which grow in the nature and in Finland we have some of them only in the pots.
It was sweaty day today so after the walk we went to the pool.
Cheers,
Tiina
11th of April, 2015
New coffee tables
I don't know why I'm so into interior design. I browse interior design magazines and look at Pinterest trying to find new ideas how to decorate home even though I don't need anything.
Last time when I bought art work and buddha I decided not to buy anything for a while but what happened then.. I went to some furniture store and bought two coffee tables, oops. They are totally different than the one we had before. Now the living room furniture looks more light and I was able to take my butterfly chair from the balcony to inside.
The only problem is where to put our old coffee table because our storage is already full.
10th of April
Local shops, stalls and food court
A couple of days ago I took pictures from skyscrapers and tourist attractions. Now I want to show you pictures from local areas and how the life is there. I took these photos from Marine Parade but you can find those kinds of places all over Singapore.
Where there is a food court there are usually a lot of small stalls and shops that sell clothes, kitchen ware, jewelry, bags and all kinds of small stuffs. Perhaps the style in clothes are a little bit different than what I like :0.
You can find a lot of services in the neighborhood like beauty salons, hair dressers and so on. The price level is cheaper here than in big shopping malls.
I haven't tried those hair dressers myself because the western hair type is totally different from an Asian one. It is better to go to places where you can see other western people because I have seen that one of my friends hair was pink when she was done in the hair salon, oops.
Have a nice Friday!
Tiina
Two dates
I had a nice weekend with two dates :). On Friday I met two of my ex-colleagues in the restaurant called Spruce in Tanglin Road. The place reminds me of P.S. Cafe on Dempsey Hill. Both places have nice terraces surrounded by old trees. I like!
This time the dessert was the best dish. For starters we shared some tapas and for the main I took tuna burger. The dessert was merengue and ice cream. Delicious.
It was so nice to catch up with my friends. In some point of the evening my Finnish ex-collague and me started to do some match making. My Singaporean ex-collague doesn't have a boyfriend at the moment so we tried to think about some suitable option for her. I had someone in my mind so I need to talk to him when I meet him in Finland :). You'll never know what is going to happen.
The other date I had was with my husband. Our sons were with their friends so we took advantage of that. This time we went to movies.
The film was so funny and I laughed a lot. The name of the movie was SPY. It was a comedy and an action movie at the same time. In the main roles were Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham ja Jude Law. I recommend!
After the movie we had a late dinner in Lower East Side which locates on East Coast Road. On this road there are a lot of restaurants. This area is worth of visiting.
Lower East Side is one of our favorite places. This time we took nachos plate and soft tacos. After that we were ready to head home. So that kind of dates we have nowadays :0. No, we had a great time together.
Hope you had a nice weekend too!
Regards, Tiina
17th of May, 2015Photography training
Today we cycled the same route as about two weeks ago but this time I didn't fall down (I didn't take any photos while I was cycling) and the weather was much better than last time.
I have learnt to like photographing by taking pictures on this blog. Today I was thinking of practicing taking pictures against light. I took a couple of pics from the sun.
I didn't manage to take other pictures against the sun so I started to shoot macro.
Have a nice Sunday!
/Tiina
16th of May, 2015
Quotes
Have a nice weekend!
/Tiina
16th of May, 2015
Quotes
Have a nice weekend!
/Tiina
Unpleasant event on the road
Last week I was watching my son's football game in one of the local schools. When we left the place I didn't realize that the road is a oneway road and I was driving the wrong direction. The road was wide and there was no one until a car drove in front of me. The driver got really mad and started showing hand signs (such as the middle finger) and I just thought to myself what a crazy guy. Of course it was my fault but nothing happened and people make mistakes.
I did not even think about the whole thing until after a while that I realized the same BMW was right next to me and started showing me the middle finger and was mouthing the word "Idiot". Weird behaviour in traffic.
Well after the next turn he decided to drive right in front of me and slow down and I had to stop the car. He finally stopped in the middle of the road and got out of the car and walked to me as I stupidly opened the window. He starts shouting that I am really "arrogant" because I didn't apologize and even broke the law.
I was speechless (which is rare for me) and sat fearful on the driver's seat. I thought he would soon get on to me, but luckily he just continued to shout and and demanded an apology. At least I got to tell him that even though I drove wrong I am not going to say sorry because of the way he is acting.
Then he said again that I broke the law and he will file a police report about this so I was just kind of like whatever and thought I will never apologize to that crazy guy. He then took a picture of the register plate and left. I was quite shocked about the way he was raging at me and the rest of my day was ruined because that was the only thing I could think about. He must have had some anger management problem. A normal person would not act like that, right?
It was a scary experience. Luckily the first and hopefully the last.
Drive safe!
/Tiina
11th of May, 2015
A gift is missing
I knew it already on Thursday when my hubby said that he just realized it is Mother's day on Sunday. Between the lines I read that he'll be too busy to buy me any gift on Friday or Saturday.
Sunday morning came. This time I got congrats and hugs but no gift which I was prepared. Oh, how the world changes... The first time ever no Mother's day gift :(. Last year I got one charm to my Pandora bracelet.
So no gift... Secretly I was disappointed and asked from my husband doesn't he appreciate me because I didn't get any gift. He said that of course he appreciates me but he was too busy to buy the gift and then he made a joke about the matter and said that you are not my mom, heh. I didn't feel like laughing.
I didn't want to make a fuss about that gift thing because all of these twenty years and more he has always remembered my birthdays and wedding anniversaries. He has arranged a surprise trips or bought a gift. Anyway he remembered to wish me Happy Mother's day without a gift but still I was wondering no gift...
We had lunch together in Indian restaurant and ate cake at home. I thought this was not my best Mother's day but still ok. In the evening my husband and the youngest one came with the gift package and my husband said that better later than ever. That was a pleasant surprise :).
Perhaps he saw that the gift thing was important to me. It doesn't have to be anything big just a small nice gesture to have something. Do you agree with me?
Have a nice evening,
Tiina
Ps. About Pandora... I got that one as a farewell gift from my collages in Finland and it included airplane, crown and heart. The rest of the charms I have bought myself or my friends have bought them to me. I like this Pandora because every charms has its on story :).
7th of May, 2015
Happy to play
I'm not a big consumer of coffee but I need to have my morning and afternoon coffee. I like to drink my coffee from a nice cup and not a paper mug. I rarely buy take away coffee because I love to have my coffee break by sitting and not rushing somewhere with a mug in my hand.
Quite often after my afternoon coffee I play with my iPad. All my friends have finished playing Candy Crush a long time ago but I'm still playing it and sometimes something else...
A couple of days ago I downloaded one new app that was recommended by my son. It has given me a lot of joy. The name of the game is My Idol and the idea of the game is that you download your picture to the app and then it will scan your face to the game and after that you can modify your look how ever you want to.
So you choose different clothes, eyes, hair and so on to your self. There is only one negative which is that it is in Chinese but this doesn't really bother me because there were instructions with the pictures. It was so much fun. I really recommend this app to everybody to brighten up your day :).
What do you think should I be model because I can make such good poses ;)?
Yeah, right. I can spend my day like this, nice :).
Regards, Tiina
6th of May, 2015
Decision making - help needed
One thing I need to improve is decision making. I know what I want but if
I have two things which are almost the same then it isn't easy anymore. Now I don't know if I should leave my Chinese cabinet the way it is
or should I sand it a little bit to make it look a little bit older? Big decisions ;).
This all started when I yesterday finished my small Chinese flower table. I really like it. Now I need your advice :). Please let me know what would you do. Would you let it be or make it a little bit distressed?
At the same time as I wrote this blog I made up my mind about it but I really do appreciate if you write me comments about this matter. It would be nice to compare your opinions to mine.
Waiting for the comments,
Waiting for the comments,
Tiina
Ps. Did you know if you like my Lazy Living In Asia Facebook page my new post will appear on your newsfeed? This is just info for those guys who asked how to follow me easily :).
5th of May, 2015
How to paint a small Chinese table?
In our guest room right next to the door is small Chinese flower table. I haven't liked that one for a long time so today I decided to paint it with the same paint I painted our red Chinese cabinet.
I used Annie Sloan's chalk paint and it is excellent. You don't have to sand anything just paint directly and what's the best thing is that it will dry in about 20 minutes.
Last time when I painted that Chinese cabinet I watched directions from YouTube but this time I didn't have to as I already knew.
This time I wanted my flower table to look old so when the paint had dried I sanded the table a little bit here and there. I think it is pretty cool now ;).
Which table do you like more?
Tomorrow I'll wax the table so it will protect the surface and make it a little bit shiny. I use clear wax but the other alternative is to use dark wax. It depends how you want the finishing to look like.
This was so easy but a fun project that I would like to paint something else but I think I don't have anything else what needs to be painted :(.
Have a nice Tuesday!
Tiina
Last time when I painted that Chinese cabinet I watched directions from YouTube but this time I didn't have to as I already knew.
This time I wanted my flower table to look old so when the paint had dried I sanded the table a little bit here and there. I think it is pretty cool now ;).
Which table do you like more?
Tomorrow I'll wax the table so it will protect the surface and make it a little bit shiny. I use clear wax but the other alternative is to use dark wax. It depends how you want the finishing to look like.
This was so easy but a fun project that I would like to paint something else but I think I don't have anything else what needs to be painted :(.
Have a nice Tuesday!
Tiina
4th of May, 2015
Interior design in our guest room
Today we had an Ikea day with my friend. I had this feeling that I need to do something about our guest room.
I was thinking to buy some pillow cases and so I did. Our old ones were already bad looking. The pillow case in the middle I bought from H&M in Finland this spring.
When you go to Ikea it's always so that you buy more than what you had in your mind in the first place. It was the same thing this time. I also bought some flowers and flower pot.
When I got home I put some new decoration in front of guest room's window.
When we moved here two years ago we needed to buy a new sofa so that our relatives and friends can come and stay with us. We searched for this sofa for a long time and then we finally found one from BoConcept.
Have a nice week!
Tiina
3rd of May
Lesson of Sunday
It was so massive thunderstorm with heavy rain and lightning last night that we all woke up. I went for the balcony to take laundry inside but it was already on the floor because of the strong wind.
For the morning we had a plan that my hubby goes cycling and calls me when he is done so that we could cycle for a while together and go for breakfast.
The morning was cloudy which was unusual because usually if it rains at the night time then the morning is sunny. But not today.
When I went to the basement and tried to open my padlock I couldn't open it. I haven't cycled for a long time so the padlock was rusty. I put some oil to it and finally it opened.
We decided to cycle from East Coast along a new cycle road to Garden's by the Bay and have some breakfast there but the restaurants weren't open. We were hungry, especially my husband who had cycled already about 65 km.
So we rode back to East Coast Park and I wanted to take some pictures on the way. I took some but then I noticed that my hubby was hungry and a little bit anxious when we stopped every few minutes and I took the pics.
Well, I thought that I can take some pictures while I'm cycling. What a great idea :0. First everything went ok but then some turn came and I was too close to edge of the cycle road and then I just had time to think that I'm going to fall down...
That was awful situation, I threw my camera to my cycle basket and then I fell down. I hurt my left hand and I couldn't get up and I didn't see my husband. Luckily there were some ladies who came to help me. They were worried if I'm ok. I got back up and then I saw my hubby coming back. He hadn't noticed that I had this little accident. Then we continued cycling but immediately I was feeling bad and I needed to go lie down to one of the benches. I took my time and then I was more or less ok - just felt some pain in my fingers :(.
Lesson of Sunday: don't take pictures while cycling!!!
In the end we found some nice restaurant near our home in East Coast Park.
/Tiina
Bad hair day
Do you know that feeling when you wake up in the morning and look at to the mirror and you are like OH NO. You have a bad hair day but you are too lazy to wash it or you can wash it but you are too lazy to blow dry it?
Luckily you can always tie the hair. When my hair was tied up, my old colleague said that you have the hairstyle of a lazy person, and I completely agree. I actually have the routine of washing my hair every second day (unless I have been doing sports). The day I wash the hair I let it be open and the next day I will tie it up. This way I can control the bad hair day.
I go outside a lot and even if the air is humid the sun will dry the hair. I have been trying various Japanese brands and they have worked well in this climate.
These days before blow drying my hair I use a volume spray from TIGI and after blow drying I use some oil so that my hair do not go frizzy right away.
And at the end a bit of hairspray from the same brand. Sometimes I use dry shampoo to give more volume to the hair. My mother brought good dry shampoo from Finland and I have been satisfied with it. I need to buy more once I visit in the summer.
For as long as I remember I have always blow dried my hair after washing it. My hair type is silky which is typical in Finland. There is a lot of hair but the hairs are thin. When I have blow dried my hair and gotten it straight I go out to the humid air the hair will lose volume and goes a bit frizzy. Then it already looks like as if I had not done anything to it.
Have a great Tuesday!
Tiina
27th of April, 2015
What have I learned while living in Singapore?
When you move abroad you have already accepted that your life will change. You leave behind all the familiar things and you don't know how it is going to be in your new country. The worst thing about leaving is to say goodbye to the relatives and friends but in the other hand you are very anxious to meet all the new people and experience a new culture.
When you live abroad it is going to change you for ever. I wrote down what I have learnt when living in Singapore.
People are the same everywhere
It has been nice to notice that in spite of the nationality parents are proud of their kids or they can get angry to their kids exactly the same way. When I go to the group exercise class sometimes there is one muslim girl with a head scarf attending the same class. Neither a cloth nor religion which make us different. Singpore is a great example of how different cultures can live together in harmony.
In different cultures people act differently. For example we westerns when we talk to each other we look at the eyes when we are communicating. In Asia this is not so typical. My friend told me that when their new boss from Europe came to Asia and had one to one discussions with everyone he got a lot of complaints that he looked to much to the eyes when talking.
You need to accept uncertainty
When we lived here as expats and my husband's contract was about to expire we had to wait for several months before we got to know that the company will renew the contract and after that it took a couple of months before the contract was signed. When we finally decided to go back to Finland my husband had to find a new job in Finland.
I feel privileged
In Asia it's very common that there is no pension system and many old people need to work where as the same aged old people in Finland would be retired. I really feel privileged that I can stay home and don't need to work at this age.
I have learnt to be alone
When kids are at school and husband at work I spent a lot of time by myself. Even though I have many friends and hobbies I have learnt to enjoy to be all alone. In Finland I didn't do many things by myself and I always needed to have somebody with me if I went out for example for shopping.
I talk to people
I have always been talkative and it has been easy to get to know new people. I don't know is't me or the other person who starts to talk but here I talk more often with the people whom I don't know. I have also noticed (or known ) that the other nationalities are good in small talk compared to us Finns.
Family is important
Here the family relations are very strong. Kids help their parents economically if they don't get any pension or the pension is small. It's very common that three generations live together and grandparents help taking care of the kids while the parents are working. But my family is also important to me :).
Equality
Finnish women and women in Scandinavia are equal with the men but here in Asia it is the man who is the head of the family.
/Tiina
25th of April, 2015Insomnia?
I haven't thought about insomnia before it gets to your own way. I have been pretty good sleeper all of my life. It doesn't matter if I take a nap I can still get to sleep in the evening. I can easily sleep in the airplane, car or where ever.
Now I'm getting older (I'm not feeling old at all) and I can feel that the cycle of my sleep and quality of the sleep is changing. Sometimes when I wake up in the morning I notice that I have slept like a dog. You know the dream has been so light and I have woken up and then fell asleep again. Not so refreshing feeling in the morning... Luckily our helper can save the day :). Is there a better way to start your day when you have this kind of surprise waiting for you?
Then I can also wake up about three or four o'clock in the morning and can't fall asleep again. All the things come to my mind and that doesn't help to get back to sleep. Then I feel cold or hot and need to go to toilet or something like that. This can easily take about an hour or more.
Sometimes I wake up after five when my husband goes for cycling before work. Then I start to play games on my iPad or read the daily magazine and after that I'll fall asleep and when the alarm clock rings at seven I feel so tired and dizzy...
Well I'm lucky because this is not typical for me so I can't say that I have insomnia. These sleepless nights occur just now and then. But when this happens it's irritating. I'm just thinking those people who really have insomnia...
That must be very tough. I'm doing well because I can take a nap when ever I want to :).
Have a nice Saturday!
Regards, Tiina
24th of April, 2015
Just an other Friday
Friday began like any other Friday and felt that I haven't been on vacation at all.
Every Friday I go to Muscle Mania class instructed by young Japanese looking Ninja. The class is very tough and and I really noticed that I have missed all the classes for one week. I needed to take it easily or other wise I couldn't have finished the class.
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| My Brazilian classmate |
When I came home it was time to check what I had bought from Bali. I had promised to myself not to buy any decorations to the house but when I saw that owl below I couldn't resist... I really love it and then I saw those pineapples... I have seen those earlier in some interior design magazines and it was a shame that I couldn't have the pineapples in the same color but anyway I think they are ok like that.
From the airport we bought one bottle of Moet and with it came some jewelry or what ever... I really don't know the purpose of that. Do you have any ideas what it is?
Oh, that wasn't all what I bought. I bought some nice scarfs, jewelry, pants, sandals, T-shirts for the boys and a little bit more.
/Tiina
22nd of April, 2015
Feeling guilty in Bali
Even though I have enjoyed my lazy days in Bali I have thought how our sons manage in Singapore. I know that they are doing well but still..
It was Sunday evening when our middle one called and said that he is not feeling well. He had a flu and high fever. Typical! It wasn't the first time when we are traveling and one of the boys becomes sick. One son is sick at home and mom is just lying on the beach... Not nice!
If one son is sick of course the other one will be as well. So two were at home and I was still on the beach and feeling guilty. I think this is mom's role.
Tomorrow we are heading back home which is nice even though the boys are well already. I missed them and usually they say the same when we meet but when I'm leaving from their rooms they say that please close the door behind you. Well, well. I think this it when the children grow up...
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| Juice station |
Regards, Tiina
PS. I took the pictures from our breakfast buffet in Sofitel Bali.
20th of April, 2015
People in Bali
Is it a third or fourth day here in Bali? I don't know somehow the time doesn't exist here. Bali has mystical magic which I haven't experienced in any other place. People here are also extremely kind and very talkative.
The most people in Bali are Hindus even though most people in Indonesia are muslims. Bali has its own Hindu-Balinese culture. Ceremonies and rituals maintain the balance between good and bad.
Ordinary people in Bali work hard and sometimes I feel bad about that. We westerns are pretty privileged and we need to be thankful and not complain about the small things.
Below you can see pictures from the ladies I talked to.
Sometimes I feel that time has stopped here.
Warm wishes from the other side of equator!
/Tiina
13th of April, 2015
Beautiful old shophouses and a hindu temple
There are many good things in Singapore but I think I mostly enjoy the warmth and the sun. I always feel cold in Finland so I don't mind the heat and I prefer to suffer more from the heat than the cold.
Almost everyday it is sunny here in Singapore and that's why the colors feel and look different. Rarely you can see people wearing just black or other dark colors ( except my son :) ).
Even some houses can be colorful like the Peranakan shophouses you can see in the picture below. The Peranakan culture was born when Chinese immigrants married non-Muslim locals from the Malay Archipelago. Peranakans lived in many places in Singapore but their heritage is seen here in the east Joo Chiat, in Katong.
These houses are quite near our home and I can't stop admiring them and all the details when ever I pass by them.
Even closer to us are some old shophouses too and in the middle of it there is the second oldest hindu temple in Singapore. It has just been renovated and it has a lot beautiful and colorful details.
This is pretty typical in Singapore. Different cultures live side by side and the hindu temple can be in the middle of Chinese people. Like in Chinatown which is mostly inhabited by Chinese there is also a hindu temple in which Indians mainly visit.
Have a nice week!
Tiina
12th of April, 2015
Sweaty day in the jungle
Today we went to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve for a hike. The day was hot and sunny so we put some sun cream, insect repellant and took a couple of bottles of water and off we went.
Before we started the natural trail we saw a snake on the road. Our youngest son shouted there is a snake. First we thought he is joking as always but then I saw it. It was a small one and only a little bit venomous painted bronzeback. My son said he won't make a jokes about snakes anymore. He learnt his lesson :).
After that it wasn't so nice to start walking on the forest path...
It was very tranquil on in the nature. We didn't see anyone on the path except one monitor lizard. I didn't to manage to take a picture because it was too quick.
I love to watch plants which grow in the nature and in Finland we have some of them only in the pots.
It was sweaty day today so after the walk we went to the pool.
Cheers,
Tiina
New coffee tables
I don't know why I'm so into interior design. I browse interior design magazines and look at Pinterest trying to find new ideas how to decorate home even though I don't need anything.
Last time when I bought art work and buddha I decided not to buy anything for a while but what happened then.. I went to some furniture store and bought two coffee tables, oops. They are totally different than the one we had before. Now the living room furniture looks more light and I was able to take my butterfly chair from the balcony to inside.
The only problem is where to put our old coffee table because our storage is already full.
Now when our living room is done I start to look at all the small things there. Do you know that feeling that you need to put this pot there and something else next to it and everything need to be set on the right way? I tried to explain this to my husband but he just looked at me blankly so no response from that direction... I don't mind I just keep doing my own things :).
In the picture you can see sake bottle that my husband got from his collage from Japan. Looks quite nice, right?
We have a lot of plants on the balcony and suddenly I noticed that we don't have any plants in our living room. So I bought those small plants and brought that wooden box from Finland. It's from H&M home. We have H&M here in Singapore but not H&M home :(.
I found this little fellow from the balcony when I was taking a photo there.
It's dinner time. I can smell so good flavors from the kitchen that I can't write any more.
Have fun and enjoy your life :)
Tiina
10th of April
Local shops, stalls and food court
A couple of days ago I took pictures from skyscrapers and tourist attractions. Now I want to show you pictures from local areas and how the life is there. I took these photos from Marine Parade but you can find those kinds of places all over Singapore.
Singaporeans love to eat in food courts or take meals away. It is very cheap to eat there but if you want to eat western food in the restaura there the prices are way more expensive.
Where there is a food court there are usually a lot of small stalls and shops that sell clothes, kitchen ware, jewelry, bags and all kinds of small stuffs. Perhaps the style in clothes are a little bit different than what I like :0.
Instead of clothing I like to buy some household stuff. They have so many things that I didn't even know exist.
I haven't tried those hair dressers myself because the western hair type is totally different from an Asian one. It is better to go to places where you can see other western people because I have seen that one of my friends hair was pink when she was done in the hair salon, oops.
Tiina
8th of April, 2015
Scarfs and sarongs
Today I had lunch with my friends in the city. In the morning I was thinking what to wear and the first thing that came to my mind was a scarf. I really love scarfs but it is difficult to wear them here because outside it is always too hot. Inside they are ok due to the cold air-conditioning inside the buildings. This is totally opposite of what I'm used to in Finland.
I couldn't wear that scarf on the balcony for a long time because I felt so sweaty after five minutes.
When I came back from lunch I decided to clean my cabinets. We are heading to Bali next week and I needed to know what kind of sarongs I have. I found a couple of those.
The first and the third sarong from right are from our holiday to Krabi last Christmas. Those sarongs were printed by hand by some of the famous artist in Thailand. On the New Year's dinner we won the the third sarong from the right as well the first price which was a 2 night stay in the private villa in that same resort. Lucky us :).
In the afternoon I also checked my scarfs and put all the warm pashminas to our storage and kept the thinner scarfs.
My favorite scarf is the scarf which my mom gave me last autumn as a birthday gift. It is from Finland and the brand is Pia's design.
An other scarf which I love and use a lot is from Luxembourg and I bought it last year on a business trip. The scarf under it is the silk scarf from my husband and he bought it when he was on business there. I only use and took pictures from the scarfs that I like.
Have you heard that every woman should have one white shirt in her closet?
Then it is easy to combine that shirt to your other outfits. That's what has been said in all the women's magazines, right? In the picture below you can see my white Ralph Lauren's shirt and the scarf from Ivo Nikkolo, Estonia.
Have nice and sunny spring days!
Tiina
7th of April, 2015
Pictures from Singapore
A few days ago I had lunch with my ex-collage. We met in the Central Business District (CBD). On my way there I took some pictures.
The symbol of Singapore is Merlion. It is half a lion and half a fish. It is one of the Singapore's many tourist attractions. Merlion stands there in One Fullerton.
Actually I think Singapore have five statues of Merlion but this one is the most famous.
Opposite of Merlion there is Marina Bay Sands, the pride of Singapore. It consists of three towers and on top of it is "a ship". In Marina Bay Sands there are hotel, shopping mall, casino, conference centre and lots of restaurants. On the highest floor there is an alfresco restaurant and bar called Ku De Ta. From there you can see all over Singapore and the view is amazing!
On one side of the Merlion is Esplanade Theatre and on the other side you can see CBD. In the picture below you can see the funny shaped spiky building which is Esplanade Theatre. They look like a fruit called Durian. Durian smells very strongly (in my opinion it's quite bad smell) and it is forbidden to bring durian e.g. to the airplane. Local people they just love it but I can't say the same.
It is crazy when ever you see the pictures from Singapore they are always about the sky scrapers but in this island there is a lot more... Now I realize I'm doing exactly the same. Perhaps I need to go and take some pictures from the other places in Singapore as well.
Near the river there are lots of restaurants and bars. At the day time they are empty but when the evening comes they are full of people.
If you don't feel like going to any restaurant or bar you can take a river cruise.
In the same area there is this nice candy and ice cream bar.
Have a sweet day!
Tiina
6th of April, 2015
Singaporean food
I do yoga every Monday. It's good to have routine for exercise then you don't miss it so easily. I haven't been in yoga for two weeks. First week I was in Finland and last week I was busy taking care of the house because our helper was on holiday (bad excuse). So happy that our helper is back I have time to do my own things :).
Sometimes after yoga I have typical Singaporean breakfast in the local cafe.
The breakfast consists of a couple of Kaya toast ( it is a spread made of coconut), local coffee and two soft boiled eggs. On the top of the eggs you can add salt, white pepper and soya sauce and then you dip the toast into the eggs, yummy. I need to have this kind of breakfast every now and then.
Usually after yoga I come home and start to write my blog. Time flies when I'm writing. When I'm finished it is usually lunch time. My other favorite Singaporean dish is Chicken Rice. On the top of the dish you pour some soya and chili sauce.
In the picture below you can see pour chickens hanging and waiting to be eaten.
If you ever come to Singapore I recommend that you taste juice made from fresh fruits. It is really delicious. Today I drank mixed fruit juice made of pineapple and green apple. Sooo good.
Our helper is an excellent cook. Today we ate sweet and sour chicken requested by the boys. It was as good as always.
Enjoy your Easter break!
Tiina
5th of March, 2015
Skiing in Hakuba near Nagano
It doesn't feel like Easter at all. The only holiday was on Friday and we were golfing in Malaysia but it wasn't long ago when we had a holiday and we were skiing in Hakuba near Nagano.
You can drive from Tokyo to Hakuba. It takes about four hours. If you don't rent a car you can also take a bus or train or even a combination with those. If you want to spend some time in Tokyo before skiing you can send your luggage and skis from the airport to your hotel. There you have some info
We had one stop from Tokyo to Hakuba. Our youngest son was worried because there wasn't much snow on the way so he thought that we can't ski.
When we arrived there were so much snow that we haven't ever seen and we come from Finland. In the village there were about three meters or more snow.
The hotel was really good: Sierra Resort Hotel Hakuba . The service was excellent and we felt at home. Every day they served soup on the terrace. In the evenings there were soft drinks, tea, coffee and wine in the lobby.
In the hotel there were shuttle buses between the hotel and the slopes and in the evenings between the hotel and the restaurants.
And what was the best was that they had their own onsen (Japanese spa). It was so lovely to go to the hot springs after skiing the whole day. Very relaxing!
When we were there it felt like we were in Finland. The slopes were longer but the scenery reminded us from Lapland. The snow in Japan is very light and it's easy to ski in powder.
The last night we had dinner in a restaurant that was the home of an old couple. They didn't speak any English. We had ordered sukiyaki in advance.
The husband was the cook and the wife was the waitress. They were so polite. The food was excellent but it was too much. We hardly finished the half of it.
I really like Japan. Everything works there, people are nice even though they don't speak English and the food is super good.
Cheers,
Tiina
2nd of April, 2015
Day at home with the boys
This day I spent doing chores and waiting for the painting. I think that interior design can stop for a while.. Otherwise there will be too many things in my house and it would feel claustrophobic.
I was able to get my sons to do some chores without any major disputes. Strange. The younger one did the dishes.
The teen vacuumed with his phone, typical. Cannot lose connection to friends for a second. Looks very effective. But I'm not complaining, main point is that he cleaned :).
The painting arrived during the day and it's very big :). What do you think of the painting?
Oh yeah, I also bought a nightstand that I've been looking for quite a while. So I bought this small Chinese one. Am I going to end up collecting these again just when I got rid of the biggest one? No, this was just an exception because it fit so perfectly.
I could not exactly find a place for the buddha so I tried it on the stool. I don't know really if it is good on it or not. I need to bring some items to the other room as the living room is looking too filled.
Im still happy with the Buddha though and it is a bit bigger. Last time I bought a Sumo wrestler in Japan.
We have had a fun week taking care of our friends dog Raksu. He follows me everywhere, even now as I write he lays next to me on the floor.
This Thursday I didn't go golfing but that is alright because tomorrow we are going to Malaysia to play for a couple of days. Fun!
Happy Easter!
Tiina
1st of April, 2015
Interior design to my friend
My blog gave me a small project. I am helping to design the interior of my friend's house. Last weekend we came up with ideas and this week I have been roaming some design stores to find the right furniture. It is a dream job for me.
There is only one disadvantage for me. As I look for the furniture for my friend's house I end up looking up furniture for my house as well. Yesterday I already bought one painting, a big painting that I have been looking for since 2004 :0. I will post some pictures once it is on the wall. Painting below is from the same artist.
I also found some small buddhas. I am not very religious but strangely I end up buying buddhas. I had to buy it. It was pretty heavy as I carried to the car. Luckily I go to body pump, heh.
I found a nice table for my bedroom but I don't have any space for that :(.
I was asked to look for big mirrors and I found a nice one, and another which might be too small for its purpose.
At home I have a white butterfly chair and I found a leather one today. I've wanted one of these for a while, and when I visited Finland my sister said she had ordered one like this. Telepathy!! This one does not fit for our house though.
I also went to look for some Chinese side tables and I found a lot but one that caught my eye was this green box which goes well with the green ladder that we have. I would not have bought anything but my youngest said it will fit too nicely to our ladder.
The story of the ladder is that every Chinese house should have the ladder which help the person to keep pushing on in life and follow their career.
So if you need a interior designer just contact me :)
Tiina
31st of March, 2015
Sunsets
Today was a busy day and I'm writing the blog quite late. I started to look at the photos for todays blogs and ended up looking at old photos. So typical, start doing something and end up doing something different.
None of my family have really been into taking photos and mostly I have been the one to do so. Mostly the photos we take are from vacations and parties. But I realized that I have taken photos of sunsets of almost every
vacation. Here you can see some of them.
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Bali, Indonesia
Ikaalinen, Finland
Kota Kinabalu, Borneo (Malaysia)
Singapore
I noticed that I haven't taken any pictures from the moon... Perhaps I need to start next holiday :).
30th of March, 2015
Taking care of the dog and Chinese food
It has been a nice day even though I cleaned the master bedroom. The boys have holiday the whole week and we'll take care of our friends dog.
We were in East Coast Park with the dog.
We had our lunch in our favorite restaurant Din Tai Fung.
For starters we ordered chili cucumbers and duck rolls. In the picture there are also spicy dumplings.
I don't understand how so simple than fried rice and egg can be so delicious.
Dumplings which you can dip into vinegar and ginger sauce.
The last dish was spinach which the boys dislike :(.
For the dessert we went to food court to buy some tutus. They are small rice cakes made of rice flour. Inside there are peanuts or coconut, yammy.
I think now I can manage for tomorrow :).
Regards,Tiina
29th of March, 2015
Mexican dinner with the family
When we lived in Finland we used to cook together on weekends. My spouse was a chef and I was just an assistant chef. Nowadays my helper has stepped over me and I don't have any role in the kitchen. Our helper being on holiday we thought that we can cook together. So we started together but then I decided to wash the dishes and do some cleaning. Then my husband ended up cooking alone...
My husband did some guacamole:
4 avocados
half of red onion
cherry tomatoes
garlic gloves
lime juice
coriander
salt, chilli
He also cooked meat fajitas:
ribeye
salt
black pepper
chili
onion
capsicums
tortillas or wraps
Fry the capsicums on the pan. Add salt and black pepper after the capsicums are ready. Put them to the oven at 150 degrees. Let them be there until the meat is ready. After frying add salt, black pepper and chili.
Heat the tortillas or wraps on the pan.
Serve and enjoy :).
The dinner was excellent. It's easy to say because I didn't do anything...
I really like desserts. This time we bought some tiramisu, a piece of mango cake and cheese cake.
We also drank some Japanese whisky. Usually I don't like whisky but Japanese whisky is totally different: smooth, soft, tasty and not bitter.
Have a happy working week ahead!
Br, Tiina :)
28th of March, 2015
About new outfits
Just wondering here what kind of things you would like to read here in my blog.
Should I write more about Singapore, traveling, interior design, fashion..? Don't hesitate to tell your opinions to me :).
Today I was thinking of adding some of my new outfits here. I like to read and see about those in other blogs. I asked my youngest son to be my photographer (surprisingly the others were not interested :0 ) It felt odd posing for a photo. My son said I was a natural.. It was difficult, I would not make a model.
These pants I bought from Marc o'Polo when I was in Finland. They feel nice when I put them on as the material is a bit thinner and more lose for a change.
These ones I bought from the dark store where good looking young models are standing at the entry with their shirts off. It's more of a teenager store I think but I find some nice clothes for myself as well.
At least my photographer was relaxed when I took a photo.
Here are my black jogger pants which I bought from the same dark store... The shirt I bought a long time ago fro DKNY and I've liked it a lot. It fits perfect for this climate.
Have a nice Saturday!
25th of March, 2015
Back to Singapore
I'm back and household chores started immediately. Our maid is on vacation for about a couple of weeks. This is going to be tough ;). It is very common here in Singapore that everybody has helpers.
Today I needed to vacuum, do laundry, go grocery shopping, make dinner and wash the dishes. Not in many places here they have dish washers... I was all sweaty before I got everything done. Anyway I already had time to go to the manicure. There was a new girl and I asked her to do some nail art to my big toes. She drew flowers which are not my favorite but this time I think they are pretty cool.
When I got home I noticed that my son had sent a message which said that why don't you answer to my phone call. Right... I haven't heard. The whole week in Finland I tried to call him. He didn't pick the call or call back to me. Sigh! But I think it is always like this that mom needs to be available 24/7. Does this sound familiar?
I really noticed that our helper was absent when I looked at to my teenager's room.
I got a new pasta recipe from my sister. I would like to do that but it was absolutely no from the boys. They asked pasta bolognese but not with spaghetti. Should be some other pasta. The kids are very old fashioned. Everything has to be the same way... always. You can see the meal in the picture. Not gourmet food but very tasty :).
Tomorrow is my golf day, nice.
Have fun,
Tiina
15th of March, 2015
Crazy about pouches
I am crazy about small pouches, just like my mother and my mother-in-law. I don't know whats wrong with my but I could buy this for ever. :). When we travel and I don't buy anything, I usually buy at least a few of these.
The two pouches above I bought for work. In here the locals usually carry small pouches when they go for lunch. It works well as it does not weigh as much as a normal handbag.
These ones I bought in different colors from Chinatown and I have brought them to Finland as gifts.
These ones how ever are from Bali, I mostly keep my keys and buscard in them.
This one is from Bangkok, I usually use it when I go out at night.
This one I got from my friend as gift for taking care of a dog, I keep make up in it :)
These are for golfing. I do have bigger ones of them where I keep my Golf clothes. They are from Phuket.
These ones are for make up. Marimekko-pouch is from my mother-in-law :).
This one is from Peking, I hold my passport in it.
The leather pouch is from Bali and the plastic is from here.
I do not remember where I bought this but it is for some of my jewelry.
That is not even all of my puches.
See you in Finland. I cannot wait to get there, I will see how much I can post from Finland. I will be back in about a week and then I will post more.
Regards, Tiina
Ps. Now you can follow Lazylivinginasia also in Instagram
These ones how ever are from Bali, I mostly keep my keys and buscard in them.
These are for golfing. I do have bigger ones of them where I keep my Golf clothes. They are from Phuket.
This one is from Peking, I hold my passport in it.
I do not remember where I bought this but it is for some of my jewelry.
That is not even all of my puches.
Regards, Tiina
Ps. Now you can follow Lazylivinginasia also in Instagram
13th of March, 2015
East or West?
When we first moved here I wanted to move to the city. My husband suggested some other areas but I was not up for that. So then we ended up living in the city for about 3.5 years because we did not know of any better place.
About two years ago when we moved back to Singapore we had a different mindset. Because of my sons school we wanted to look for an apartment in the east. I was first against this idea but after house hunting and spending one night in the east, I said that we would move around this area.
My husband said "What?"
Well people do have the right to change their opinion, right? I don't know what changed me but I feel like the condo and neighborhood seemed nice.
Pictures below are from our condo, as one of my good friends asked for it.
I have noticed that in the Finnish community there is a "lot of competition" on which is a better place to live, east or west? Both areas have their own supporters. Coming from east Helsinki I have to say the better one is east ;), because here is the SEA and I absolutely love it.
I can walk to the East Coast Park in 5 minutes from my condo. In the park you can swim, run, cycle, grill, sit around and have a picnic, go camping, fish, go for a coffee or lunch and dinner, so almost anything ;).
Of course there are other things than the sea in the east. If you leave the opposite direction of the sea from our condo, you will arrive by restaurents, shops and shopping centers.
Why can't it always be Friday, Friday...
About two years ago when we moved back to Singapore we had a different mindset. Because of my sons school we wanted to look for an apartment in the east. I was first against this idea but after house hunting and spending one night in the east, I said that we would move around this area.
My husband said "What?"
Pictures below are from our condo, as one of my good friends asked for it.
I have noticed that in the Finnish community there is a "lot of competition" on which is a better place to live, east or west? Both areas have their own supporters. Coming from east Helsinki I have to say the better one is east ;), because here is the SEA and I absolutely love it.
I can walk to the East Coast Park in 5 minutes from my condo. In the park you can swim, run, cycle, grill, sit around and have a picnic, go camping, fish, go for a coffee or lunch and dinner, so almost anything ;).
Of course there are other things than the sea in the east. If you leave the opposite direction of the sea from our condo, you will arrive by restaurents, shops and shopping centers.
Why can't it always be Friday, Friday...
12th of March, 2015
I love Tokyo
Tokyo was love at first sight. We visited Tokyo last month for one weekend before we went skiing in Hakuba, near Nagano.
I somehow thought that Tokyo would be filled with big masses of people going here and there, just like the crossing at Shibuya which I have seen on some advertisements.
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| Crossing at Shibuya |
Luckily we have friends living in Tokyo and we could get to know a whole different type of Tokyo. We had a small apartment near our friends in Ebisu which was filled with cute small restaurants, cafes and stores. Usually the apartments are small in Tokyo and so was ours. The owner of the apartment had already warned us that the apartment will be small. However the plus side was that the apartment was furnished in a Japanese style.
We walked in Tokyo for 2 days straight sight seeing and our feet were dead tired. Event though we saw a lot I would have liked to see even more of Tokyo.
We visited Emperor's Garden and the weather had a really enjoyable sunny and fresh feeling of a typical spring day. Spring was already arriving in February.
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| Emperor's Garden |
What would you think about a kiosk in the middle of the city that only sells spirits? Japanese people like to drink a lot and if they ask whether you would like to go drinking, they mean liquors.
I have heard that even in their CV when they apply for a job, drinking in the hobbies section is a good thing. It means that the person is social and can get along with other people. Yep..
On Sunday we went to the Yoyogi Park where people seemed to do all sorts of things. One lady was walking her mongoose.
My friends said that sometimes in the park there can be someone doing a monologue who clearly practices some play and looks as if they are talking to an audience. There were also people playing frisbee, football, playing instruments and some people practicing taiji. A lot of things happening at once.
On Sundays the local Elvis's jam in the park at one area. They play music from the speakers and people watch them dance. Fun!
We also wanted to see Takeshita Street. It is common to see a lot of younger people who have dressed up as some sort of cosplay. The streets were filled with a lot of stores that were aimed for younger people.
Around this area we also saw the Mario Cart characters driving by on the road just like normal cars.
In the first night we went to eat Yakiniku in which the meat and vegetables were grilled manually by yourself. It was amazing.
We also visited a really small bar/restaurant and Tokyo seemed to be filled with these kinds of places.
From my experience the Japanese were very nice and helpful even if many of them did not speak English. In Tokyo we got a lot of help with the language from our Finnish friends who speak Japanese. It felt like Japanese and us Finnish people have a lot in common.
I want back!!
11 of March, 2015
Rainy Day
In the morning the sun was shining when I had my morning coffee on the balcony. I went to body pump and after I thought I will go and take photos of the old but pretty nearby shop houses.
When I was ready to leave it had already started raining. It looked grey and dark, however the situation was not as bad as it sounds because it is still warm outside and the rain does not usually last the whole day:). Usually it starts raining in the afternoon but this time it came a bit earlier.
When I was ready to leave it had already started raining. It looked grey and dark, however the situation was not as bad as it sounds because it is still warm outside and the rain does not usually last the whole day:). Usually it starts raining in the afternoon but this time it came a bit earlier.
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| Pictures from the room of one of my sons |
Because of the rain I ended up going to eat in a shopping mall that is nearby my house.
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| Pictures from Parkway Parade's both entrances |
I forgot all about the rain as soon as I entered the mall:). At first I went to have lunch at Thai Express. It is one of my favorite restaurants and I am also a big fan of thai food. Because I was eating alone I got to eat what I wanted but I could not share any other foods with anyone else, like they usually do here, this would mean I could not get different types of foods :(. I decided to eat the appetizer and dessert only. For the drinks I got a nice mango smoothie.
For dessert I got mango sticky rice. This dessert consists of rice that is a bit sweet and on top of it there is coconut milk and it is served with mango slices. I think it is the best dessert in all of Asia.
Then after filling up my stomach I headed to Daiso. For those of you who do not know, Daiso is a Japanese store in which all products cost 2 Singapore dollars which is about 1.40 euros. There is a lot of stuff and some crazy yet useful Japanese inventions. There were also things that were not only made by Japanese. It somehow reminds me of Ikea, nothing you exactly need but still end up buying. Today I bought a mickey mouse cloth, tinfoil with pictures on it and other items. I totally need all of these...
When I went home, it was raining even harder. I did not have an umbrella so I had to go and buy a new one. I wonder how many umbrellas from stores like 7-11 and Watsons I already have? This time I found a "trendy" umbrella. What goes on in my head when I buy all these things. I guess it is because I have three sons and no daughter who I could buy anything to. Isn't that a good excuse? But doesn't it match well with my bag?
Tiina :)
10th of March, 2015
Finnish and Japanese dishes
Next week I'll be in Finland, yeah. I started to think where to go there. Definitely I need to visit Finnish design shops like Arabia. It is a must visit every time I'm in Finland. I'm a big fan of Finnish design:).
I don't remember when I started to look Japanese dishes. In the first place I thought that I'm not going to buy them because I have a lot Finnish dishes.
But when my mom came here from Finland and bought some Japanese dishes I couldn't resist to buy some for myself and I'm on that way still ;)
I don't know why I'm so attracted to Japanese dishes. Perhaps there is some kind of same simplicity than in Finnish dishes.
Last month we visited Japan. I bought those round ones from Tokyo. First I thought it's too complicated to carry them in hand luggage to Singapore. But I'm so happy I did. Today I was having my lunch and I used those plates when I ate sushi. Oh, how a person can be so happy from the small things :).
9th of March, 2015
Becoming Singaporean
I think I am slowly becoming Singaporean. In many cases I have started to behave like a local. Worrying ;). Here are a few examples:
- I walk slowly like a snail. I do not take any extra steps, I try to walk the side of the street that has shade and I wait for the traffic lights to change under the shade, even if it was 10 meters from the lights. With all this I try to avoid the humid feeling you get in Singapore.
Before rain
- When I go eat at a food court, I reserve a table with a pack of napkins, just like locals. At first when we moved here I thought that why do people leave napkins on the table. I then went to sit at a "reserved" seat as I did not know of this local way of reserving tables. First I found this way irritating but now it seems completely natural. If you do not do this in the busy times at a food court, you might have to wait quite a long time with your food before you find an empty table.
- When I go to a lift and I have selected my floor, I immediately press the close door button as well. Before I thought of this weirdly and impatient but I guess people learn by copying what others do. In the other hand, sometimes I feel like the lift doors close very slowly here... but I do not know what I will do with that extra 2 seconds I have saved, heh.
- Here it is common to reverse the car to the parking slot. It took me a while to learn this skill. Once I even reversed to a wall even when the car had a camera to show the back :0. Luckily the repairing of a car is a lot cheaper in here than Finland. Although I do think they have a good reason to reverse to the slot as the parking lots are mostly very tight. Getting out is this way a lot easier.
My future car ;)
- If I order ice water in a cafe and I get hot water instead, nowadays I am happy to drink it.
Regards, Tiina
9th of March, 2015
Becoming Singaporean
I think I am slowly becoming Singaporean. In many cases I have started to behave like a local. Worrying ;). Here are a few examples:
- I walk slowly like a snail. I do not take any extra steps, I try to walk the side of the street that has shade and I wait for the traffic lights to change under the shade, even if it was 10 meters from the lights. With all this I try to avoid the humid feeling you get in Singapore.
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| Before rain |
- When I go eat at a food court, I reserve a table with a pack of napkins, just like locals. At first when we moved here I thought that why do people leave napkins on the table. I then went to sit at a "reserved" seat as I did not know of this local way of reserving tables. First I found this way irritating but now it seems completely natural. If you do not do this in the busy times at a food court, you might have to wait quite a long time with your food before you find an empty table.
- When I go to a lift and I have selected my floor, I immediately press the close door button as well. Before I thought of this weirdly and impatient but I guess people learn by copying what others do. In the other hand, sometimes I feel like the lift doors close very slowly here... but I do not know what I will do with that extra 2 seconds I have saved, heh.
- Here it is common to reverse the car to the parking slot. It took me a while to learn this skill. Once I even reversed to a wall even when the car had a camera to show the back :0. Luckily the repairing of a car is a lot cheaper in here than Finland. Although I do think they have a good reason to reverse to the slot as the parking lots are mostly very tight. Getting out is this way a lot easier.
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| My future car ;) |
- If I order ice water in a cafe and I get hot water instead, nowadays I am happy to drink it.
Regards, Tiina
8th of March, 2015
Home decor
When we first time moved to Singapore some how I was blown away by all the Asian things. I felt that I needed to have all kinds of Asian furniture to our home. So I bougt: Chinese cabinet, Chinese coffee table, Chinese chairs, Chinese ladder, Chinese table lamps and more.
That last a couple of years but then I noticed that I'm not Chinese ;). Our house was too dark and I would like to have Scandinavian style back. Little by little I sold almost all Chinese furniture and I just kept some pieces to add colour to our home.
I still have one red Chinese cabinet. I like the shape of the cabinet but I think there is too much pictures and that makes it too colourful. I got a great idea to paint it.
When I told that idea to our maid she asked who is going to paint that one. I said me of course. Here it is not so typical to do things yourself. Usually people pay that kind of services but remember I'm Finnish and we do things ourselves :).
Now it is ready. Which one is better?
Have a nice Sunday!
That last a couple of years but then I noticed that I'm not Chinese ;). Our house was too dark and I would like to have Scandinavian style back. Little by little I sold almost all Chinese furniture and I just kept some pieces to add colour to our home.
I still have one red Chinese cabinet. I like the shape of the cabinet but I think there is too much pictures and that makes it too colourful. I got a great idea to paint it.
Now it is ready. Which one is better?
7th of march, 2015
Kite surfing and sea shells
Today we drove to Malaysia again. This time it would be kite surfing and for me just hanging around on the beach.
Near the beach we saw the sign about tapirs. It didn't take a long time and we saw one tapir crossing the road. After that there were monkeys near the road.
I don't know how my husband got to know this beach. There is a long sandy shore line, just kite surfers and it is in the middle of no where. We needed to drive on the beach to get to the kite surfing place.
I just walked on the beach and collected sea shells. There were so many sea shells and the shape of the shells were so beautiful. But the best treasure for me was the light green rounded glass ball which I found :)
In the afternoon we went for swimming and I almost got a stroke when I saw a shark near us. My husband just said oh, it can be a dolphin as well. I said no I'm leaving. On the beach I told to the local guys that there is a shark or dolphin in the water. We went back and my husband said it is a dolphin. Good! But then the guy said that the sharks are usually a little bit further away near the rocks. What? I didn't know there can be sharks... Scary.
At home I wondered where to put all my new sea shells because I already have a lot.
The day was perfect: sea, beach and sun. What more can a person want? :)
Near the beach we saw the sign about tapirs. It didn't take a long time and we saw one tapir crossing the road. After that there were monkeys near the road.
I don't know how my husband got to know this beach. There is a long sandy shore line, just kite surfers and it is in the middle of no where. We needed to drive on the beach to get to the kite surfing place.
I just walked on the beach and collected sea shells. There were so many sea shells and the shape of the shells were so beautiful. But the best treasure for me was the light green rounded glass ball which I found :)
In the afternoon we went for swimming and I almost got a stroke when I saw a shark near us. My husband just said oh, it can be a dolphin as well. I said no I'm leaving. On the beach I told to the local guys that there is a shark or dolphin in the water. We went back and my husband said it is a dolphin. Good! But then the guy said that the sharks are usually a little bit further away near the rocks. What? I didn't know there can be sharks... Scary.
The day was perfect: sea, beach and sun. What more can a person want? :)
6th of March, 2015
Are there crocodiles in Singapore?
Even though Singapore is a small urban city there are a lot of parks and reserves. When you visit them then you really feel that you are near nature.
We have heard that in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve crocodiles have been seen so we decided to visit there. Wise decision...
We tried to explain to ourselves that if there are crocodiles the reserve would be closed. So we kept walking to the jungle and almost the first thing what we saw there was these signs:
After that we were a little bit jumpy and we heard every sound in the woods. These lizards made us fear more...
Anyway these are harmless monitor lizards which you can see also when you are playing golf. They don't harm you if you don't make them scared but you need to be alert because they have a lot of bacterium in their mouth.
After that we relaxed a bit and everything went smoothly. We saw some other small lizards, crabs, spiders and turtles. We were lucky we didn't see any snakes. There are snakes and monkeys in every reserves.
Have happy Friday :)
Even though Singapore is a small urban city there are a lot of parks and reserves. When you visit them then you really feel that you are near nature.
After that we were a little bit jumpy and we heard every sound in the woods. These lizards made us fear more...
Anyway these are harmless monitor lizards which you can see also when you are playing golf. They don't harm you if you don't make them scared but you need to be alert because they have a lot of bacterium in their mouth.
After that we relaxed a bit and everything went smoothly. We saw some other small lizards, crabs, spiders and turtles. We were lucky we didn't see any snakes. There are snakes and monkeys in every reserves.
Have happy Friday :)
5th of March, 2015
Thursday golf in Malaysia
We have been golfing with my girl friends every Thursday in Malaysia for several years. The ladies have been changing over the years but Thursday golf remains.
So why do we play golf in Malaysia even though we have a lot of golf courses here in Singapore? I think that when this all started the reason was simply that playing in Malaysia is so much cheaper. They never ask for a green card there and you don't have to book a tee off time on weekdays. Nice, right?
There is a bridge between Singapore and Malaysia and will take about half an hour to drive to the border. On weekdays you can get through the customs quite fast and there are several golf courses which can be reached by car in about one hour from the border.
We are members in Palm Resort and Country Club in Johor. There are three courses of 18 holes and a hotel. Last summer we stayed there for one night and I thought that the hotel was ok and clean. Usually the levels of standards in Malaysia are a little bit lower than the other Asian countries.
With the ladies we got stuck to play in Palm Villa, which is located also in Johor near the airport of Senai. There are three 9 hole courses. Perhaps the reason that we play there is that after every game we always eat a delicious tofu dish.
Here is one more link to Johor's golf courses in Malaysia. They are located from the descent driving from Singapore.
You can rent a car in Singapore and just to let you know that the traffic in both Singapore and Malaysia is left-sided. If you hire a car you need to remember to get the insurance for taking the car to Malaysia.
If you don't like driving you can take a ferry from Singapore to Indonesia, to one of the two islands which are called Bintan and Batam. The ferry trip to Batam will take about half an hour and to Bintan about an hour. Well, I think I will write a new post from these golf courses for more detailed information.
If you are going to play golf I hope you have fun!
So why do we play golf in Malaysia even though we have a lot of golf courses here in Singapore? I think that when this all started the reason was simply that playing in Malaysia is so much cheaper. They never ask for a green card there and you don't have to book a tee off time on weekdays. Nice, right?
There is a bridge between Singapore and Malaysia and will take about half an hour to drive to the border. On weekdays you can get through the customs quite fast and there are several golf courses which can be reached by car in about one hour from the border.
We are members in Palm Resort and Country Club in Johor. There are three courses of 18 holes and a hotel. Last summer we stayed there for one night and I thought that the hotel was ok and clean. Usually the levels of standards in Malaysia are a little bit lower than the other Asian countries.
Here is one more link to Johor's golf courses in Malaysia. They are located from the descent driving from Singapore.
You can rent a car in Singapore and just to let you know that the traffic in both Singapore and Malaysia is left-sided. If you hire a car you need to remember to get the insurance for taking the car to Malaysia.
If you don't like driving you can take a ferry from Singapore to Indonesia, to one of the two islands which are called Bintan and Batam. The ferry trip to Batam will take about half an hour and to Bintan about an hour. Well, I think I will write a new post from these golf courses for more detailed information.
If you are going to play golf I hope you have fun!
4th of March, 2015
Under the umbrella or not?
The most relaxing thing on the weekend is going to the pool. My habits have changed over the years. It was the first year that I wanted to go to the pool early that I could lay under the sun. Nowadays I prefer to be under the shade.
It is always like that what you have you don't want, right?
Looking at the older couples from the sunnier western countries, I have realized that too much sun is never good for you. The skin can turn wrinkled and you can see a lot of moles. It took many years to understand that...
If you are an Asian woman and have a light skin tone you usually want to keep it that way. Even though your skin tone is darker it doesn't really matter because you can always use whitening products. I think the best product is whitening deodorant... just thinking who wants to look at your arm pits ;).
Here in Asia it is very common that women covers them selves head to toe when playing golf. They usually wear big brimmed hat, sun glasses, respirator filter or towel in front of their face, long leaves shirt, long pants or mini skirts with tights. And don't forget they wear gloves in both hands. Well, that's good for them ;). I just want to remind you that the temperature is usually above 30 degrees. In the pictures you can see caddies from Thailand and Indonesia.
Anyway when you go to the pool you can see funny details how people try to avoid sun. Why do they go to the pool then? The best one I have seen is one woman lying on the sun bed under the towel :). Hot or not?
Looking at the older couples from the sunnier western countries, I have realized that too much sun is never good for you. The skin can turn wrinkled and you can see a lot of moles. It took many years to understand that...
Here in Asia it is very common that women covers them selves head to toe when playing golf. They usually wear big brimmed hat, sun glasses, respirator filter or towel in front of their face, long leaves shirt, long pants or mini skirts with tights. And don't forget they wear gloves in both hands. Well, that's good for them ;). I just want to remind you that the temperature is usually above 30 degrees. In the pictures you can see caddies from Thailand and Indonesia.
Anyway when you go to the pool you can see funny details how people try to avoid sun. Why do they go to the pool then? The best one I have seen is one woman lying on the sun bed under the towel :). Hot or not?
3rd of March, 2015
Spring comes to Singapore...
...at least to the stores. Here where it's summer all year round you can notice the season changing by looking at new season collections in the stores.
Today when I came from gym my steps lead me to the new spring clothes. It is pretty bad my gym is located in the nearest mall ;). I bought two shirts. There was an offer if you buy two pieces you will get 30% discount. I never can resist the good bargain...
I also bought loafers to my sister. Every time when I buy something nice to someone else I got this feeling that I have to buy it to myself as well. Weird, right?
I also bought a Panama hat to myself. I don't even know where to use it but it looks pretty cool ;)
I took a selfie from my outfit which I like a lot. This outfit is totally different what people were here. Here it is always cute dresses or tiny tiny shorts...
One thing came to my mind. Once we were the whole family in Kuala Lumpur. There we did some shopping and once we noticed that one of the boys were missing. My heart skipped the beat... Then I noticed that big group of people were staring to the display window. And there the youngest one was, standing beside the dummy. Malaysians took pictures and laughed. Too much shopping for him, eh.
I also bought loafers to my sister. Every time when I buy something nice to someone else I got this feeling that I have to buy it to myself as well. Weird, right?
2nd of March, 2015
Gong Xi Fa Cai / Happy Lunar New Year
Yesterday morning I woke up to the sounds of the drums. It took me a while to understand that we had a lion dance performance in our condo. I quickly dressed up and went to the lobby.
Chinese New Year is the most important celebration for the Chinese and they have a lot of traditions for the celebration.
Traditionally families get together for the annual reunion dinner in the Chinese New Year's eve. It is also traditional for every family to clean the house to make a room for good incoming luck. The house will be decorated with red color paper-cuts and couplets. They all wish for good fortune, happiness, wealth and longevity.
Hongbaos (red packets) are handed out by married couples to their parents, single adults and children as tokens of good luck and blessing.
The red packets include a little sum of money. The sum should be even numbers and number 4 is definitely forbidden. The word for death sounds similar to four in Chinese.
Oh yes, the lion dance... The lion dance is the traditional Chinese dance where
the performers mimic a lion's movements in lion costumes.
I recorded lion dance in our condo. It is quite long but please look at the part where lion jumps from the pillar to another. Impressive!
Oops, I just noticed that the video doesn't show in iPad, sorry. Beginners problems... Need to check the the right format. Anybody knows that one already?
Happy Chinese New Year! Or is it over already...
Chinese New Year is the most important celebration for the Chinese and they have a lot of traditions for the celebration.
Hongbaos (red packets) are handed out by married couples to their parents, single adults and children as tokens of good luck and blessing.
The red packets include a little sum of money. The sum should be even numbers and number 4 is definitely forbidden. The word for death sounds similar to four in Chinese.
Oh yes, the lion dance... The lion dance is the traditional Chinese dance where
I recorded lion dance in our condo. It is quite long but please look at the part where lion jumps from the pillar to another. Impressive!
Oops, I just noticed that the video doesn't show in iPad, sorry. Beginners problems... Need to check the the right format. Anybody knows that one already?
Happy Chinese New Year! Or is it over already...
1st of March, 2015
Housewife, stay at home mom or homemaker...
A couple of months ago I quit my job. Working days are long here, usually from nine to six and often much longer. I wanted to take some time for myself and trying to figure out what to do the rest of my life.
Now I have all the possibilities ahead and suddenly I can't imagine a single thing what I want to do. Should I study or apply some other job or what...
Well, because I don't no what to do I started to do all the same things than before working like sports, lunches with friends and shopping :0. Don't take too seriously this shopping part...
Anyway I know someone who is happy I'm staying home. It' s our youngest son who said to me in one day that he is sooo happy to come home because I'm there :).
One more thing, I feel like homemaker. That's sounds definitely the best for me.
Now I have all the possibilities ahead and suddenly I can't imagine a single thing what I want to do. Should I study or apply some other job or what...
Well, because I don't no what to do I started to do all the same things than before working like sports, lunches with friends and shopping :0. Don't take too seriously this shopping part...
Anyway I know someone who is happy I'm staying home. It' s our youngest son who said to me in one day that he is sooo happy to come home because I'm there :).
One more thing, I feel like homemaker. That's sounds definitely the best for me.
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