Melissa put together these nice PDF Slideshows of Delaney growing up. You will have to go to the following link to access them.....click here.
On the site you will find 5 PDF files for the following age ranges:
0-8 months
9 to 12 months
12-18 months
18-24 months
Year 3
Once you get to the site you will need to RIGHT CLICK and pick "Save Target As" and save to your desktop or the location of your choosing. They will then download and save a copy to the location you picked. These are big files around 2-3MB each so give them time to download. Once they are downloaded then go to the location you saved them and double click (or sometimes when its done downloading it will ask if you want to OPEN the file...pick yes.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Four year old mindset
Anyone ever try to explain to an almost four year old that just because it's the party day that she is not acutally four yet???
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Back to the States
We have been getting a lot of questions about our return home. Thought I would share the details....
June 28, 2007
Airline: AA 5837
Origin: Singapore
Destination: Tokyo
Departure: 8:10am
Flight Time: 7 hours
June 28, 2007
Airline: AA 154
Origin: Tokyo
Destination: Chicago
Departure: 6:05pm
Flight Time: 11 hours 55 minutes
June 28, 2007
Airline: AA 2360
Origin: Chicago
Destination: Detroit
Departure: 7:23pm
Flight Time: 1 hour 12 min
TOTAL FLIGHT TIME: 20 hours 7 minutes
TOTAL TRAVEL TIME: 25 hours 37 minutes (includes layovers)
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Singapore in a Nutshell (Observations from an Outsider)
The following is my observations about life in Singapore. It is in no way a personal attack but more of an observation into the lifestyle and mannerisms of some people in Singapore. I know that if someone came to the US and did the same list it would be much worse so don't think I am trying to be on a high horse.
When looking at the country on a global scale, I think there are two types: the real Singapore and the one that gets parlayed in the press and has earned the country the title "Disneyland with the Death Penalty". What I mean by this is that when you tell people that you are moving to Singapore you hear the following types of comments, "You better not chew gum or they will fine you" or "Better not jaywalk or they will fine you" or don't do this or that normally followed by ".....or they will fine you" or "....they will cane you". This image that sits in Westerners minds has them using the Disneyland comment to describe the country. The reality is that if they actually enforced all the rules they claim they will they would have a budget surplus from all the fines and/or they would run out of rattan canes due to nonstop canings....(I do need to mention that canings are reserved for very serious crimes such as murder or sexual crimes, immigration stuff, or drug trafficking).
Now once you get into the country there are again 2 different Singapore's: downtown regions (Orchard Road, Clarke Quay etc) and the far suburbs where a majority people live in HDB complexes. The main differences are related to cleanliness and upkeep. In the downtown region, it is near spotless with very limited trash and beautifully kept new buildings. Its this Singapore that they want to promote. But you go 30 minutes outside the CBD (Central Business District) and you have these massive housing estates called (HDB) where a majority of people live. For the people in the US, these are best described as high rise apartment or condo like buildings. These areas (in my experience) tend to be dirty with lots of trash on the ground. I can only compare them to my condo in the US and its much dirtier. People seem to not care about throwing trash in the bins and instead throw stuff on the ground or leave them on public spaces (tables, chairs, steps). There has been many times that I have been walking home from work and I see someone take something out of their mailbox and proceed to drop it on the ground if they don't want it. (Even when a trash bin is 15 feet away). That brings up another issue: For a country that prides itself on cleanliness they have a lack of trash bins in public spaces. I have walked around with trash in my hand looking for a bin many times.
Now that you have a big picture of the country I will describe the mannerisms of the people. Please understand that these are not seen in every single person but when you see enough people do it you start to take notice.
1. People will not move out of the way to share a sidewalk or pathway. There are many times that I have been walking along a sidewalk and two people are walking toward me side by side. I continue to walk on my half of the sidewalk and then a deadly game of "chicken" ensues. I eventually have to get off the sidewalk or we would have run into each other. One time I did hold my ground and ran straight into a women (our shoulders banged each other).
2. This country needs to decide what side of the walk way you should walk on. I figured that because they drive on the left hand side of the road that you should also walk on the left but that doesn't hold true. People tend to walk wherever they want...some on the right...some on the left. And what I found interesting is that the escalators aren't even consistent. Sometimes the up escalator is on the right and sometimes its on the the left.
3. Males have an obsession with spitting, sucking in snot in their noses and other gross throat stuff. Before I got my new desk at work, I sat maybe 25 feet from the bathroom and an hour wouldn't go by without you hearing somebody in the bathroom hacking up a loogie! Thats 25 feet away with the door closed! We were at our friends pool one time and I witnessed the security guard cough and generate a loogie and then proceed to spit it into a napkin in his hand. Truly disgusting.
4. People here love kids and many many times have gone out of their way to care for Delaney. I would say that on a packed bus every morning somebody would get up and offer their seat to Delaney. Definitely a very nice gesture.
5. On the flip side, their love of kids causes many kids to go crazy in public. This is extremely frustrating when you are at dinner and trying to relax and their is a little kid running up and down the aisle without a parent chasing them. They let them "rule the roost".
6. This isn't about Singapore specifically, but more of a general comment about hospitality in the AsiaPac region. It is amazing the level of attention and warmth we have received while on vacation during our stay in Singapore. Whether it was Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand, all the people at the hotels have been TOP NOTCH. Not only has the service been good but there was a sense that they were being genuine. Sad to say that I haven't felt that in many US hotels.
Now observations about the country itself as a place to live. Overall, I would recommend it as a place for people to live at least on a temporary basis. Here are my thoughts:
1. Weather is amazing. Hot and humid day in/day out. No guesses. There are weeks when it seems to rain at 3pm daily but it only rains for a 1/2 hour and then because of the heat and humidity everything is dry within the hour. The weather definitely does wonders to lift your spirits when you are not dealing with the cold dreary winter. I also have felt healthier here without any colds/flu that I normally would have gotten due to the temperature swings witnessed in Chicago.
2. Singapore is truly a melting pot of nationalities. You have a huge expat community here so you are in constant contact with people from Europe, Australia, NA etc. You are given the chance to learn about other regions/countries through interaction.
3. The ability to witness different nationalities. The way Singapore was set up, they gave different sections of the island to different groups so that you now have Little India, Chinatown, etc. With this set up you can go visit communities and immerse yourself in their culture and eat some of the native foods.
4. Two negative sides to the country: Cars and Land. Cars are hyper expensive both because they cost more and because the government limits the amount of licenses it grants so that the license can get expensive. To give you an idea, the equivalent of a Honda Odyssey (minivan) might cost upwards of $60,000 USD here. In regards to the land issue....when dealing with a limited land supply with high demand, the prices escalate quickly. From a recent real estate book that came to our apartment here are some choices of rental properties: $6,500 (3bed/1bath, 1700sqft) and $7,000 (3bed/1bath, 1582sqft).
5. Another positive is lots of cheap airfare to exciting countries. Singapore is a hub for air traffic and have many discount carriers come though here such as Tiger Airways, Jetstar, etc. These guys offer great deals. I think Tiger Airways for a recent promotion offered one way tickets for $20 USD (but you have to add in taxes etc....but still a good deal).
That's all folks.....
When looking at the country on a global scale, I think there are two types: the real Singapore and the one that gets parlayed in the press and has earned the country the title "Disneyland with the Death Penalty". What I mean by this is that when you tell people that you are moving to Singapore you hear the following types of comments, "You better not chew gum or they will fine you" or "Better not jaywalk or they will fine you" or don't do this or that normally followed by ".....or they will fine you" or "....they will cane you". This image that sits in Westerners minds has them using the Disneyland comment to describe the country. The reality is that if they actually enforced all the rules they claim they will they would have a budget surplus from all the fines and/or they would run out of rattan canes due to nonstop canings....(I do need to mention that canings are reserved for very serious crimes such as murder or sexual crimes, immigration stuff, or drug trafficking).
Now once you get into the country there are again 2 different Singapore's: downtown regions (Orchard Road, Clarke Quay etc) and the far suburbs where a majority people live in HDB complexes. The main differences are related to cleanliness and upkeep. In the downtown region, it is near spotless with very limited trash and beautifully kept new buildings. Its this Singapore that they want to promote. But you go 30 minutes outside the CBD (Central Business District) and you have these massive housing estates called (HDB) where a majority of people live. For the people in the US, these are best described as high rise apartment or condo like buildings. These areas (in my experience) tend to be dirty with lots of trash on the ground. I can only compare them to my condo in the US and its much dirtier. People seem to not care about throwing trash in the bins and instead throw stuff on the ground or leave them on public spaces (tables, chairs, steps). There has been many times that I have been walking home from work and I see someone take something out of their mailbox and proceed to drop it on the ground if they don't want it. (Even when a trash bin is 15 feet away). That brings up another issue: For a country that prides itself on cleanliness they have a lack of trash bins in public spaces. I have walked around with trash in my hand looking for a bin many times.
Now that you have a big picture of the country I will describe the mannerisms of the people. Please understand that these are not seen in every single person but when you see enough people do it you start to take notice.
1. People will not move out of the way to share a sidewalk or pathway. There are many times that I have been walking along a sidewalk and two people are walking toward me side by side. I continue to walk on my half of the sidewalk and then a deadly game of "chicken" ensues. I eventually have to get off the sidewalk or we would have run into each other. One time I did hold my ground and ran straight into a women (our shoulders banged each other).
2. This country needs to decide what side of the walk way you should walk on. I figured that because they drive on the left hand side of the road that you should also walk on the left but that doesn't hold true. People tend to walk wherever they want...some on the right...some on the left. And what I found interesting is that the escalators aren't even consistent. Sometimes the up escalator is on the right and sometimes its on the the left.
3. Males have an obsession with spitting, sucking in snot in their noses and other gross throat stuff. Before I got my new desk at work, I sat maybe 25 feet from the bathroom and an hour wouldn't go by without you hearing somebody in the bathroom hacking up a loogie! Thats 25 feet away with the door closed! We were at our friends pool one time and I witnessed the security guard cough and generate a loogie and then proceed to spit it into a napkin in his hand. Truly disgusting.
4. People here love kids and many many times have gone out of their way to care for Delaney. I would say that on a packed bus every morning somebody would get up and offer their seat to Delaney. Definitely a very nice gesture.
5. On the flip side, their love of kids causes many kids to go crazy in public. This is extremely frustrating when you are at dinner and trying to relax and their is a little kid running up and down the aisle without a parent chasing them. They let them "rule the roost".
6. This isn't about Singapore specifically, but more of a general comment about hospitality in the AsiaPac region. It is amazing the level of attention and warmth we have received while on vacation during our stay in Singapore. Whether it was Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand, all the people at the hotels have been TOP NOTCH. Not only has the service been good but there was a sense that they were being genuine. Sad to say that I haven't felt that in many US hotels.
Now observations about the country itself as a place to live. Overall, I would recommend it as a place for people to live at least on a temporary basis. Here are my thoughts:
1. Weather is amazing. Hot and humid day in/day out. No guesses. There are weeks when it seems to rain at 3pm daily but it only rains for a 1/2 hour and then because of the heat and humidity everything is dry within the hour. The weather definitely does wonders to lift your spirits when you are not dealing with the cold dreary winter. I also have felt healthier here without any colds/flu that I normally would have gotten due to the temperature swings witnessed in Chicago.
2. Singapore is truly a melting pot of nationalities. You have a huge expat community here so you are in constant contact with people from Europe, Australia, NA etc. You are given the chance to learn about other regions/countries through interaction.
3. The ability to witness different nationalities. The way Singapore was set up, they gave different sections of the island to different groups so that you now have Little India, Chinatown, etc. With this set up you can go visit communities and immerse yourself in their culture and eat some of the native foods.
4. Two negative sides to the country: Cars and Land. Cars are hyper expensive both because they cost more and because the government limits the amount of licenses it grants so that the license can get expensive. To give you an idea, the equivalent of a Honda Odyssey (minivan) might cost upwards of $60,000 USD here. In regards to the land issue....when dealing with a limited land supply with high demand, the prices escalate quickly. From a recent real estate book that came to our apartment here are some choices of rental properties: $6,500 (3bed/1bath, 1700sqft) and $7,000 (3bed/1bath, 1582sqft).
5. Another positive is lots of cheap airfare to exciting countries. Singapore is a hub for air traffic and have many discount carriers come though here such as Tiger Airways, Jetstar, etc. These guys offer great deals. I think Tiger Airways for a recent promotion offered one way tickets for $20 USD (but you have to add in taxes etc....but still a good deal).
That's all folks.....
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