Any Singaporeans Staying In Overseas

[black_peony]

hello all!

Lots of postings to catch up again

Hi Ee Ling and Cass! Cool, I found my Hugh Jackman gang liao... I agree. He's very MAN and sexy. And he seems really down to earth and friendly too. Saw him hanging around after the musical and talking to the people. Of coz I couldn't get near him at all. So many crazy girls fighting to go near him!

hello Cindy and Mrs N! Im only just trrrryyying to pick up gardening.Am enjoying so far. But like what Karen says, many do get sick and tired of gardening after a while. Hope i'm not one of those! Some of the things we planted already start to show some seedlings. The only ones that are not progressing are the carrots and celery... Hope they will buck up soon.

hey Karen, yeah, big gardens are hard to manage. I don't enjoy that part of it too. But my hubby is pretty good at it so I make that his responsibility haha. Im happy just to sit at the decking and enjoy my books on weekends.

I hardly go Kings park and hilarys. Not much of a strolling person (i have the habit of walking fast..). I have to agree with your FH. THERE IS NOTHING MUCH TO DO IN PERTH. my frens are still wondering how i get by.


Lace_craze, I heard about "yi dao". Think my mum is hooked on it now. Will probably get her to bring me the dvds when they come out to perth in Nov.

 

[wandelust]

HI Cass, there is another SGP Gardens nearer ur place. It is along Chiswick high road. It is on the same side as Sainsbury. It's mainly a take-out place with only 2 tables for dining in. They do delivery as well so u might want to check it out.

Hi Cindy, night skiing sounds fun. WIll defintely give it a try the next time. Sakura was amazing. It is a pity they only survive for 1-2 weeks and they are gone. We took lots of photos and we had a great time sitting under the cherry blossoms tree sipping bear eating jap snacks. We are still unsure where will we be heading after this. Looking forward to anywhere

Hi lvbabygal, I can read the hiragana and katakana but becoz my vocab is small I still dun know wat they mean. Btw my chinese suxs too, returned most of it to my teacher liao. Not proud of it, but I will try to pick it up again. Hopefully it wld not be so painful...

 

[lv_babygirl]

Hi Cindy,

You and your DIETING, I swear the more you say u wanna go on a diet the more it doesn't quite work that way I have no idea why but it always seems that way for me heheh, so these days, I don't say it and hey it works dieting becomes "auto" without you realizing it. These days I am too stress to even think about eating hahha

Certainly hope that you'll be able to get a good decent rest last night so you won't feel sleepy at work, but hey in Winter I always noticed that you'd yawn like no tomorrow even when you had enough sleep, good to hybernate infront of a warm heater hehehe that's what I'd wanna do

Hope you have a better day at the office today

Hi Black Peony,

Nothing to do but rot in perth right?? hehe sometimes you need to find things to do to keep you sane, but it's essentially the same everywhere - I found it boring in SG haha can't go beach because it's so hot and all not like Perth where there's no humidity and you can still walk around without sweating

I am sure you can find things to occupy your time when you're BORED - at least you enjoy reading on the weekends. For me i am more into magazines like Au women's weekly, woman's day, new idea, all that load of GOSSIPY mags hehehe

Anyways, hope to catch u guys online

Cheers!

 

[lv_babygirl]

Hi Lydia,

How are you doing? Vocabs they take a while to get use to just have to practice and you'll be okay

it's like going back to school again hehehe well you have so much time in your hands I am sure you'll get that chance to learn

I think chinese is really hard...even the speaking part can be hard if you do not have basic understanding oh well...it's 5:10pm already, just glad time flies...

 

[ee_lingt]

Ciao girls,
Wow this forum is going at 'lighting' speed.

Black_peony,
have you and hubby explored all the so called touristic sights in and around Perth and W.A already? Esperance, Albany, Margaret River, Monkey Mia, Broom etc.

What do you do in your free time and at weekends? I'm sure there are things to occupy your time like markets, museums, galleries, new clubs, cafès, bars to check out.

Some people may consider Turin as being similar to Perth cos Turin is not as well-known or as big or as busy as Rome or Milan but there are heaps of things to do and see especially after the Winter Olympics that kinda gave Turin more life.

During my free time and at the weekends, I visit various museums, galleries, open-air-markets,exhibitions, fairs, have lunch or dinner with friends, go to the cinema, window-shop etc and my hubby and I often explore nearby towns at the weekends and become tourists of this city and its surrounding.

I remember when I was in Perth, my favourite thing to do at the weekends was to go to Fremantle. Perhaps you have been there so many times that you are already sick of that place. At least you get to travel alot for your job so you aren't stagnant.

Could you give me your yahoo or gmail or email addy again please? My MSN doesn't seem to want to function so I can only use google talk, yahoo n skype for now.

Mrs N,
Your contact has 'mysteriously' disappeared from my goggle talk list. Would you like to add me again? [email protected]

Hi Cindy,
Yes, mooncake-lantern festival is tomorrow! I managed to get two 'normal' mooncakes and a big pomelo. Unfortunately snow-skin mooncakes and those little piglet biscuits aren't available here. Will have a mini celebration with hubby and family Saturday evening cos we're heading to the casino tomorrow evening to try our luck!

Have a great mooncake-lantern festival girls, wherever you are!

 

[black_peony]

I totally forgot about mooncake festival! Is it tomorrow?? Guess I better call my parents then. They expect calls from me on all important occassions

hello ee-ling. yeah, have been down south like margaret river and all. But it's something that we can only do at most once a year becasue it's like a 4 hour drive and to do that over weekend, I'lll probably go to work on Monday feeling damn tired. So we only go once a year with my friends from Sin who visit me as they are excitied about going to wineries.

Actually, Perth doesn't have that many galleries and musuems. Guess in this area it is very different from Europe. Perth is afterall not a place with very rich history and culture. Fremantle? I don't go there often as I find that place rather boring too. And the markets are not as interesting as the ones in Sydney or melbourne. The markets here more like bangkok style (but not bangkok price though)!

Weekends are fairly busy for us coz my hubby has a big family and circle of frens. So there's always something happening like someone's birthday or frens coming over for dinner. But i guess what I really miss is weekend shopping and high tea with my girlfrens in Sin. It may sound weird but I miss the crowd in Sin!!

oh btw, my yahoo email add is [email protected].

 

[lv_babygirl]

Hi Black Peony,

I've added you onto my yahoo chat, so the next time you log on please add me on

Hi Ee-ling,

Not sure if you read my posting right up above but yeah, wrote you one since the last time you said something oh and thanks for the offline msg sorry I was zonked out last night at 10:30pm, so tired...anyways, am heading out again tonight with a gf for dinner, anyways, hope we'll be able to catch up soon on yahoo

TGIF so have a great weekend and happy mooncake festival ladies

Cheers!

 

[lace_craze]

Hi everyone, Happy Mid-Autumn Fest!

I'm always quite fearful of the major festivals like CNY, X'mas n Mid-Autumn - my clothes get really much tighter during these times!

lvbaby,
Many thanks for sharing your experience with wedding planners!

Where are you planning to hold your wedding dinner?

My FH is very particular about quality whereas i'm more chin-chai. He wants to have an outdoor wedding at Fort Canning but I think having it indoors is more practical, esp for the older folks. Moreover, I've heard many discouraging comments about having outdoor weddings in humid S'pore. As a compromise, we're thinking of having 2 smaller dinners now since we're having 2 diff wedding ceremonies - I'm Chinese, he's Sri Lankan.

I've talked to at least 5 different planners so far but still can't make up my mind! All of them are able to sell their services so well! I may eventually go with Wedding Concierge or Wedding Acts as they seem very organised.

hey eeling,
you'd make a great ambassader for Italy.

Will definitely seek your advice on where to go for my next trip to Italy!

hi Mrs N!
I love travelling! The world is such an amazing place. When I was teaching, I had to get out of the country every school holiday just to recharge for the new school term. That was one of the few things I could do to keep sane.

hi miso,
heard the weather in tokyo is quite bad now with strong winds and rain. Is it normally like that during this time of the year? I thought the rainy season there is over already? I'm pretty worried about spending winter there as I'm afraid of the cold.

hi cindy,
do you make your own pineapple paste for the tarts? i used to make them for CNY too but I cheated by buying ready-made paste instead of making them from scratch.

they turned out quite good, esp when the stuffing is hidden inside the tart (i.e not the open-face type where you get to see the pineapple paste.)

I'm more stressed than excited about the wedding actually. My FH and I have very different views about wedding dinners so progress on wedding prep is SLOW man!

 

[lv_babygirl]

Hi Lace Craze,

Outdoor wedding sounds good but not in SG - especially not now when the haze is happening - horrible today, PSI peaked at 150!!!! Despite having full blast airconditioning, you can still smell the horrible smoke. At times like this, best to stay home.

Yes, Wedding Acts pretty organized, never met with wedding concierge, we were suppose to meet with them but in the end because we've had our hearts set on Spellbounds, I cancelled their meeting. Anyways, good luck with your upcoming plans, let me know how you go in your planner selection

Have a great weekend, hope I won't drown in this horrible HAZE!!!!

Cheers!

 

[lace_craze]

hi lvbaby,

spellbounds sounds very dependable! glad you are able to get someone who is committed to creating your dream wedding for you!

met up with another pair of wedding planners today. they're familiar with outdoor events with marquee set-up. they're a husband-and-wife team and were recommended by a friend who engaged them for her outdoor wedding 2 yrs back. the meeting went well and i'm close to engaging them for my own wedding next yr! they are able to offer me the same stuff at more reasonable rates and i really love the ideas they have for decor, invitation cards and favours! hope we can agree on terms and charges before i leave for tokyo this sunday. *cross fingers*

went over to view work by the Wedding Paparazzi today. i've heard of them a while back and have gone to their website to see their work. you should check out their website www.weddingpaparazzi.com. they have a very funny and interesting way of portraying the whole wedding on video! Today's trip there was to view their other works. Like what i saw and signed up on the spot!

 

[lv_babygirl]

Hi Lace Craze,

Good luck in engaging your planner

oh just by chance, our videographer is with weddingpaparazzi

met them in May and we hired them because we thought they were good

they are pretty nice people

If you need contacts for invite cards just let me know can pass you one of ours that we're currently using

you going to Tokyo?? Cool!! Holiday or work? Regardless I think Tokyo would be fun, how long you will be away for???

Anyways, have a great trip ahead...CHEERS!

 

[miso]

hi lace craze

the typhoon is over.
I went to tokyo last week and the weather was perfect with clear blue skies. When will u arrive in Tokyo ? I enjoy autumn and winter season . its cold but at least its not hazy here. Especially in nagano, the air is so fresh and crisp every morning..

 

[lace_craze]

lvbaby!
so glad you're with WPaparazzi too!

they have this promo going on whereby we each can get a 10% discount if we 'refer' or quote each other's names when we sign up! Have to spend at least $1200 for their services to qualify. Would you like to combine with me to get that promo price?

I haven't paid my deposit so I'm sure we still qualify for that promo. if you're int, pls send me your name and wedding date - [email protected]

did you have to pay 50% desposit to book the WPaparazzi? that's their latest policy but i find that percentage unusually high.

have you booked your photographer? i've shorted-listed a few but have no time to view their portfolio in the studios. will have to rely on their online portfolios.

i'm thinking of getting my wedding planner-to-be to do my cards. they showed me a few samples of very classy cards which don't cost as much as they look.

the cards are like hard-cover books and the inserts are equally elegant and impressive looking! they're less than $5 each including printing charges(& embossing of initials)! think they are able to quote good rates because they get the cards done in Jakarta.

i'd be going to tokyo to join my fiance who's posted there. we plan to be there for 2 yrs. will be there on dependent's visa so don't think i'd be applying for work visa until after my wedding next june.

hi miso!
haven't heard from you in a while! so glad to have you back!

i'm waitlisted on this sunday's flight to tokyo. if that doesn't come through, i'd have to go the following weekend instead. i can only choose a weekend because my fiance wants us to travel up there together. he's in tokyo during the weekdays.

the air quality in nagano must be so much better than that in tokyo. did you spend the whole week in tokyo? i must really tap on your knowledge of great finds in tokyo when i get there

 

[lv_babygirl]

Hi Lace Craze,

I've emailed you so please check your mail

I think it will be fun to go Tokyo, think you'll find every opportunity you have whilst you're there to travel

2 years may seem long but I think once you're there, you time will probably fly by really fast.

Have a good day!! Cheers!

 

[miso]

Hi Lace craze,

i was in tokyo for 3 days last week coz my sister is on training in tokyo now. will be going again next weekend to meet her. tokyo is very very crowded and a shopping heaven. control ur expenses when u go there..

 

[lace_craze]

hi miso,

thanks for the advice!

i've already burnt a hole in my pocket stocking up on clothes and shoes in s'pore for the winter. never spent so much on shopping in my life so feeling very guilty now! my only consolation is that i could be saving more money that way since the same stuff in japan will most prob cost me much more.

 

[icy]

Hi all,
I am new here.

my hb was on a 2 yr rotation programs where we will stay 6 mths each for 4 countries. I am at my 2nd location - Taiwan. my last location was in Bangkok.

Miso,
How is life in japan if we dunno the language itself, my hb have an option to go japan, Tokyo next time but we are still considering becos if the higher living expenditure and language.

 

[miso]

Hi lace craze,

i also bought some winter clothes in Singapore before coming to Japan..but the designs in Japan are much more nicer and kawaii!!! I think u will continue to buy..

Icy : welcome...u are so lucky! can stay in 4 different countries in two years. I wish to visit taiwan one day..Tokyo is very interesting..of course it will be better if u know the language. However, no need to worry coz there are many foreigners staying in tokyo..just pick up the common phrases and numbers..half a year will fly before u know it..

 

[lace_craze]

Hi Everyone,

JUST GOT INTO TOKYO! Windy and dry weather with very nice blue sky - so different from the last time I came in July when the sky was dark and gloomy and weather was hot and humid!

What can one do in the day besides shopping, Miso? Do you have MSM or skype add?

 

[miso]

Hi lace craze

sorry i cant use MSN now because of my old and slow pc..u can email me at [email protected] when u need a listening ear..where are u staying now ?

 

[icy]

Hi Miso,
yeah.. actually very tempted but just scare that we will be very lost. anyway we still have to wait for news. We just been here for like 1 mth so there is 5 mths to go here.

 

[lace_craze]

hi icy,
you are very lucky to be able to stay in so many places long enough to experience how the locals live! i would love to live in bangkok for longer than the usual short 3-day trips. it's really a shoppppppping paradise! however, each move must be quite tedious for you as well, considering all the packing and unpacking to do.

have you been to tokyo before? it'd be very interesting for you if you haven't! 90% of pple i've talked to like tokyo, the other 10% felt the cost of living here is too high for their liking. this is one of the few places which is different from yet at the same time, as safe as s'pore. and don't worry, 6 months will pass very quickly in this vibrant city if you are adventurous!

i hope to visit taiwan one day too because i heard that the shopping and food there are good! hope you are enjoying yourself there.

what other locations are you considering besides tokyo?

 

[lilo_stitch]

hi ladies, why sudden all e old-timer gone MIA.

lace_craze n lv_baby, are u preparing ur wedding also?

 

[buzzy]

Hi (lilo_Stitch) a.k.a Pauline,

Yesh, Yesh ..the old timers are a bit on the quiet side. Maybe all a r busy wi lifes.

Despite the old timers, there are some new 'faces' you can see from the forum...This forum is getting more international

 

[lilo_stitch]

cindy, u eat snake surf web dyring office hrs heheh ee....

 

[buzzy]

Heee.. nope. Dare nt even shake leg.. just a bit tired after my interview for my chartership.. so surf the web for a while.. 'brain dead' to work at moment =D

 

[lv_babygirl]

Hi Lilo,

Yes been busy with the wedding prep work lately plus work too so not much time to come into the forum

Nuptial to take place in 4 weeks time so trying to tie up all the lose end, it can take up quite a bit of time.

Have a great afternoon...

CHEERS!

 

[icy]

lace_craze,
haha to be honest, staying in bangkok for 6 mths is just too long, actually it can be quite boring because no longer have the shopping mood already. And I cant buy too much because I still need to move on to a new place.

yeah, the first time when i move from sg to bangkok, i only have 3boxes, then now I have 6 boxes when I move from bkk to taipei. I havent been to tokyo before and i love to be there if possible.. we are just thinking if touring is easier than staying there. We also have usa and turkey to consider, anyway also depends if they needs people there.

Taiwan is so far pretty fun, it is more happening recently becos of the red-shirts rally. There are lots of selection in terms of food, and more to explore around.

 

[lace_craze]

come come come to tokyo so that we can start a small club here!

usa and turkey are so different but equally exciting as well. i'm more keen on asia coz they're closer to home - i get home sick quite easily

how do you spend your days then? i'm assuming you don't work since you have to be on the move every 6 months.

 

[nnchander]

Hi Ladies,
I'm new here

and understand that there are some ladies already in Perth. Will be moving over by June next year, and would really appreciate it if anyone could give me a contact for a driving instructor... need a refresher course

Thanx so much...

 

[icy]

lace,
haha, how many of u here had been in tokyo? Do u know japanese before u move there?

i spent my days in front of the pc, and being a hsework - cook, iron and clean. The TV shows here are nice so sometimes I watch them fortunately there is msn where i can keep yaking with my friends. sometimes i does go out on shopping but get sick of it after some times.

 

[mrs_n]

Heelloo everybody! Wow I went MIA only for 3 weeks and suddenly there's a whole new crowd of people on this thread.

Welcome to icy & Andrea!

Last few weeks have been a bit hetic as I was busy in church and there was our first wedding anniversary too. Didn't do much on that day. It was Harvest Thanksgiving at church so quite an appropriate way to celebrate us making it through one year. We had a night out to a Thai restaurant where we had the whole place to ourselves and the owner kept apologising to us for the lack of atmosphere! Hee!Hee! What a difference it was compared to our first visit there when it was jam-packed with people! Foodwise it was good though a little pricey. The owner's wife is Laotian and she was the cook so why it's called a Thai restaurant rather than Laotian is anybody's guess.

We also went up to Kinross, Scotland for a few days. I wouldn't classify it as a posh holiday as we stayed at the dormitories at the Scottish Gliding Centre and there was like one toilet and one shower shared between 10 rooms! But it wasn't so bad, much better than staying in a campsite so no complains there. My hubby spent most of his time flying while I had my nose buried in some book I got out of the library. But we did manage to spend an afternoon in St Andrews which was nice. It was quite a long drive up 6 hours both ways. Quite tiring really but I shouldn't really complain as this time my hubby did all the driving. Hah! Wish most of our holidays could be like this.

Black Peony alamak! So it's you whom I added on my yahoo msg list. All along I thought it was the other cindy!

I don't often use yahoo msg nowadays though.

Cass How are you? You haven't been on here for a while either. Glad you manage to find a Church near you. Hope you have made some friends. 'Hi' to Mr Moo too.

Karen you still busy like a bumble bee? Hope your weekend went well. We shall have to start a count down to your wedding. How many days is it now?

ee-ling & Cindy nice talking to you even though it was for a short while. Hope your weekends went well.

Take Care!

lilo stitch nice to see you posting on here!

Hope everyone else is well and enjoying their stay in Japan or Taiwan or whereever the travel bug takes you!

Ok chums, I best be off to do some ironing before that mountainous pile collapses and causes a dent in my kitchen floor!

 

[lv_babygirl]

Hi Mrs N,

How are you doing? Yes I've been quite busy of late - the weekend just flew by so fast, picked up my cheongsam and settled the printing of my wedding bulletins,met up with some friends, totally packed weekend.

Yeah, yeah, 3 more weeks to go, dang I am still rushing out for some last minute stuffs. I am getting the cold jitters and nervousness alright. Planning for a quiet day tomorrow since it's a public holiday here in SG, probably vege out on rented dvds from the weekends

Trust you had fab weekend, it sounded like you've been pretty busy with CHURCH and all

heheh enjoying it all I hope, you take care yeah? yes catch u on msn soon...

Cheers!

 

[mrs_n]

Hey Karen .... 2 weeks more to go!

Yah been busy last week. And we went to Wales on Sunday and just came back about 2 hours ago. Went to pick up a gate for our driveway. A bit crazy to go all the way there and back ... and what with gale force winds today!!! Good news is, we made it back in one piece and that includes the gate.

The hubby thought it would be cheaper if we went to pick it up ourselves and make a little holiday out of it. So yesterday we went to visit a copper mine and took a walk in the Snowdonia National Park. Hee! Hee! Seeing that it was a bit drizzly with low cloud we thought instead of walking up a mountain where we probably won't be able to see anything in this weather, we decided to take a walk around the lakeside. Never expected it to be that muddy!!!

Next time I shall remember to leave an extra pair of shoes and socks in the car!

This thread is a bit on the quiet side though, have you all gone treat or tricking?

Anyway, hope all you girls are well. And those of you in the Northern Hemisphere ... Do keep warm. It's getting pretty cold over here.

 

[buzzy]

hi mrs n,

yeap, the weather is getting so cold n we r toking abt single digit temperature here. its like winter is on the way. been wearing turtle neck to keep myself as warm as possible.freezing.....

was at london whole of ysterdae for meeting. gosh, the wind was strong n it almst blew me off the street. it was nt a gd day. there were attacks warnings in london waterloo east station. the undergrounds were suspended. so we left with no choice but to walk frm waterloo to london bridge. almost broke my leg off cos i was wearing my safety boots for my site walkround. hw fashionable footwear i had ... haha.

oh dear, the days r getting shorter. its pitch dark nw even though its only 5.20pm. i hate to walk along the lane to my bus stop. its pitch dark n i always fear that something might jst pop out when i was walking..argh...

time for a nice dinner n home cooked soup to keep me warm n cosy tonight.. =D

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi gals,
I finally passed my driving test today. Still can't believe it. I thought I would fail and would have to take it a second time. The examiner was an imposing looking lady who was quite tall, big, had big curly hair, stiletto boots and an overflowing generous cleavage. Luckily the 'torture' wasn't that long and I only realised that I passed when she placed the driver's licence in my palm. So yes, I'll be celebrating tonight and this weekend!

The weather has been rather warm and sunny the past few weeks. Not bad considering it's autumn but this week, the weather has cooled down considerably. Luckily, I haven't had to wear gloves and thick sweaters yet and it's still quite sunny. However, we've placed the woollen blanket on the bed already and turned on the heater a couple of times.

Karen, a few more weeks and you'll be a radiant bride. Am excited for you and can't wait to check out your pics online.

We're still house-hunting although the hunt has slowed down considerably.
We'll have to try to pick it up now or soon after I get back from Singapore in mid Jan.

Have a good weekend gals and hope to catch you on the messenger sometime. Ciao!

 

[mrs_n]

Congrats ee-ling well done! So happy for you.

Now your days of enjoying the scenary as a passenger are over.

It's absolutely freezing. I went out this morning and when I went to collect the car this evening the windscreen was 'frosted' over. Usually the hubby drives so it never bothered me before when that happens. But being on my own and never really experience in driving in this sort of conditions I was kind of blur about what to do. I tried turning on the heater but nothing happened and so in desperation I turned on the wiper (even though it was not raining) which cleared the screen a little but unfortunately it soon misted over. Not wanting to stay in the carpark on my own, I decided to risk it. So for part of my journey home, I had to creep at 20 mph b'cos I was struggling to see thru the windscreen! Thank goodness it did manage to clear a few minutes later but boy was I freezing in the car! No kidding it was the coldest ride I ever took in my life. Only when I got home did I realise why

Haha! I had the heater turned on to low and when it's like sub zero outside it isn't a wonder that it was blowing cool air. And there I was forcing myself to drive home while freezing my butt off!

Cindy poor you having to walk around London in the cold and windy weather. Didn't know there was a security alert! Yeah I hate walking in the dark too. Maybe you should get a personal alarm and carry it around with you.

 

[ee_lingt]

Mrs N, I have been meaning to ask you this 'Did you ever receive the postcard I sent you from Croatia in August'? I just want to check if I got the right address. If you never received it, it means I got the wrong address so maybe you could send me an email with your address again. This time, I'll try to send you something from Turin

Yeah, weather's turning cold but luckily it's still sunny (for now ).

I think I will still be a 'passenger' for a few more months. I doubt we'll get me a car till after January. I don't need a car for where we are staying now. BUT, I will get to try and drive hubby's Croma at the weekends when we go to his parents' place. I hope I'll be able to handle it and that there won't be any 'disasters'

 

[tootsieroll]

Congrats Ee-ling. Hope Italian people aren't as mad as the British when they go out on the booze. I was driving leisurely along on Saturday night, and some silly boys decided to push their friend onto the road. I had to swerve in order not to hit him. Luckily there wasn't another car near me, otherwise who knows what accident it may have caused. What's more crazy is that after hooting very feebly at them, I got rude gestures back. How well mannered eh?

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi tootsieroll,

Well, the Brits are infamous for doing 'silly' things when they're drunk but then again, who isn't? More so, those were boys that you encountered.

As for the Italians, I haven't seen any drunk Italians doing 'silly' acts (yet) BUT there are 'normal' Italians that I have to be 'careful' about. The Italians are very aggressive drivers and they don't really follow the rules all the time so one has to be really careful and keep a look out all the time (especially in the city centre and that's where I live!).

 

[mrs_n]

Hi ee-ling

No didn't get your postcard from Croatia only the one from your earlier trip to Sardegna. Ok will send you my addy.

Chat with you sometime soon.

 

[tootsieroll]

MrsN,
Happy one year anniversary. Our harvest sunday mass was commenced with a song about fuzzy wuzzy bears, something which DH thought he wouldn't have to sing until Puppy was at least in pre-school!

Eeling,
Ya, have heard about aggressive Italian drivers, but in Rome. I suppose Turin is a big enough city to have the same type of aggressive driver

Do you live in a house or flat?

 

[ee_lingt]

Tootsieroll,

We live in a flat cos in Turin city, there are mainly just flats. There are only very vew houses in Turin's city centre and people who live in them are 'filthy' rich

However, once you 'get out of' Turin's city centre and go to the 'outskirts', you can find more houses. We're actually looking for a place to buy cos we are renting at the moment. We are open to either an apartment or a house. I'm fine with either. It also depends on the cost We have a limited finances and hence a limited budget.

I have some friends who think that just because I live overseas and that I don't work full time, it automatically means that I am leading a 'tai-tai' life here. That's so not true. We live in a small one bedroom apartment that doesn't even belong to us! We don't have a maid who cleans the apartment for us. I don't go for manicures and pedicures, nor massages and my favourite shop is the relatively cheap ZARA chain. Plus, I get around Turin by bus or tram and never take the taxi.

So although I'm not leading a 'tai-tai' life here as some of my friends think that I am, I have no complaints. I love my new life here with my hubby and everyday, I discover something new and learn something new.

 

[buzzy]

Hi Eeling!
Well Done! With your driving license, am sure u r on yr road to freedom! Can go where ever and whenever u wan to go. Do u have to fulfill any probabtion period like in sin? 1st 24mths no major deductions of points?

I totally agreed with you. Friends in sin kept assuming that those of us who lived in overseas are well off.. lived in big house, lead a tai tai life. Its a bit annoying. Its just their own presumptions. In fact, think mst of us overseas lead basic n simple life. Agreed? I am oso one such 'target'. Whenever i go back, they will like oh well, u earn big bucks n u stayed oversea. Really irritating at times. These people mst b real surprise the lives we lead beign away frm home. We do things ourselves, we depend on public transport, we cope wi work and housework.. they wouldnt be able to understd all these things in our lives.

Hi Mrs N,
Hows the weather up north? My side still in the dark n cold days since weeks ago. Had to turn on the heater to keep myself warm. Winter is really not a time to go for any road trip. So life is a bit dull and will be for more months to come. Gee. I had already starting to wear my woollen coat to work cos its jst unbearable n oh yesh, nt forgetting my glooves too..

Halor tootsieroll,
Seen u on msn recently but u were in away mood, so din buzz u. Hope to catch up with u sometime. Oh yesh, remembered we were talking abt portsmouth designer outlet the last time.. oh yesh, its callled Gun Wharf Quey.Hee.. was there last sat, but tis time we din get anything, think the 'best shopping' season is still nt here. Burberry was a let down, din find any deals tis time too.. haiz.

 

[tootsieroll]

Eeling,
I agree. All the stereotype about living overseas must be well off, leading good life etc.....I'm freezing my butt off here, but don't turn the heating up cos of heating bills. As you say, no maid, all the housework do ourselves.....cannot just nip across to the hawker centre and have $2.00 char kway teow

Ohwell, I'll be doing that next week, so won't complain too much hahaah

Cindy,
Ya, I have broadband, so online 24/7 hahaha, but not always really online

Ya, the best shopping season is after christmas.....cheong arh!

 

[lace_craze]

Eeling,
it's so sweet to hear that you love your new life with your hubby and discovering new things every day. i really like the way you talk about your life in Turin. i hope to be able to see things from your perspective too while staying in tokyo. i'd be experiencing my first single digit winter here and i'm really afraid of the cold. *cross fingers*

tootsieroll,
are you going back to s'pore soon? i miss the hawker centres so much but looking fwd to going back in nov too! are you sure you can still get char kway teow for $2?

icy,
sorry haven't been here in a while so didn't get to reply your questions. i'm not very sure how many s'poreans are here actually, haven't registered myself with the embassy. have a friend who's stayed here for about a yr already and she's only able to know s'poreans thru her church so far. think the s'pore community here is not that active here. tried searching the internet for more info about s'poreans in japan but no success there. guess my only source of info will come from the embassy. i only know of the australians and americans actively organising events for their expat communities here.

i took up 10 lessons of basic japanese before coming here but that's really not enough i have to continue with lessons here but only starting next jan as i'm planning to be back in s'pore in dec.

 

[mrs_n]

Tootsieroll thanks! Guess you are looking forward to your trip back home.

Enjoy all the 'char dishes' as much as you can. Are you going to let your puppy try all the local cuisine as well?

Cindy compared to last week, it has become slightly warmer in the last few days. But still cold enough for me to wear two layers. At least I've now figured how to work the heating in the car.

Eeling I think living overseas makes one realise how lucky we were when in S'pore. You pretty much have to fend for yourselves here. Can't just nip across to Mum's anytime you want.

Lace Craze is this your first winter in Japan? How long have you been there? Looks like you, tootsieroll and eeling are all heading home about the same time! So sad I'm not going back this year. Have to wait until Easter!

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi girls,

So a couple of you will be back in Singapore in Dec too. I'll be back in Sing from 6th Dec till 12th Jan. Maybe we could meet up.

Mrs N,
You're right, living overseas has taught me to become more independent. I was a daddy's girl so I could count on my dad whenever I needed help.

Lace-craze,
I'm sure if you explore where you are living, churches, temples, towns, museums, galleries etc, you won't get bored. Furthermore, I'm sure Tokyo is a very very interesting place and is definitely far from boring. So are you into Jap food? There are a couple of really good Jap restaurants in Turin and hubby and I satisfy our Jap food craving in Italy about twice a year. Yah, it's expensive so we can't afford to eat it often but whenever we are back in Singapore, we always fill our tummies with lots of Jap food.

 

[mrs_n]

Hey Karen where are you? Have you had your wedding yet? Eh don't you go and disappear huh? B'cos we want to hear all about it and see some PICTURES!!!!!

For the life of me, I can't remember if you told me the exact date of your wedding! I'm sure its sometime in the middle of this month! Not too sure if I'm too early or too late but whatever it is, congrats to you & Edwin and may God bless you with a very long and happy life together.

 

[tootsieroll]

Lace Craze,
hehehe, not sure about $2.00 char kway teow still in existence. Maybe gone up to $2.50

'Uncle, ai juay juay hiam'

MrsN,
Yaa, can't wait, only that all my clothes still in boxes, so I've been 'trial and error' opening boxes to find out where all my t-shirts have gone to! Puppy has been eating 'Pau' at our local Dim Sum place, and seems to enjoy it and lounges on the high chair like those Ah Pek sitting at the coffee shop, so I think he will be well at home

Ee-ling, LaceCraze,
I'll be in Singapore until 15th Dec, so when you're over your jet lags, can meet up if you want! email: [email protected]