Last week, I celebrated my birthday, which means I am now counting down to the big "five zero".  Not in the least bit bothered by this fact by the way, it is just a number after all and a good excuse for a party next year lol!!!  Hubby and I celebrated quietly with a nice meal at a new Spanish tapas place we found called Bilbao. Sometimes you need a change from Nasi Goreng and Chicken Rice!

Today I had a slight taste of what all the Formula 1 fuss is about. Formula 1 fan or not (the latter being me), the sound of an F1 car racing up and down the street is hard to ignore and yes, I admit to feeling a bit of a thrill!

A section of Orchard Road here in Singapore was closed off for  Red Bull Speed Street Singapore, an F1 car stunt showcase.  Former F1 driver David Coulthard drove the Red Bull car up and down the street giving us a slight taste of the speed and sound of an F1 car, he threw in a few donuts and burnouts for good measure.  All this is build up to the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix to be held in September.   http://www.burnpavement.com/article.php?id=495

Call me curious or an idiot or both, but I had to give it a go.  On  Friday I had a very different massage experience.  (Picture is not me by the way but courtesy of Cuppingresource.com)

I decided to go for a massage that incorporated acupressure and the traditional, ancient Chinese method called "cupping".  In this technique, glass cups are placed on your body and the air sucked out causing vacuum suction.  The cups are left in place for 15 minutes or so.  This is supposed to improve circulation and help to draw out toxins in your body. (I don't drink that much wine surely!)  I must say the sensation was a little weird at first and the vacuum was a bit (ouch!) tight in some areas.  Not only were some of the cups left in place for a period of time, I was massaged with the cup too! Ouch again!!  Massage oil helped the suctioned cup to glide but I must say it was a bit like being massaged with a pumice stone!! 

Needless to say, I have red marks all over my back which now looks like something out of a sci-fi movie.  Also pretty bruised in certain areas so no swim costume wearing for me this week. I was told I would be left with a feeling of calm and serenity, well not so much, can't think why ha ha!  Not sure where my "toxins" are right now but I do know that a few more are due to be consumed! This I do know will leave me calm and serene!!
​
If you want to know more about cupping, check out this link.

It seems I have a new title.........mmmmm, Trailing Spouse?! More like Traipsing Spouse  at the moment.  I have been here in Singapore for four weeks now and have been doing a lot of exploring, mainly on foot.  I think maybe I need to take shares in whatever Company makes band-aids as I seem to be going through a heck of a lot of them at the moment.  It is such a dilemma, walk around in comfy but decidedly unattractive trainers (sneakers to my American friends), or wear semi-attractive arch support sandals with skin colored band-aids to prevent blisters!  Personal cooling as I am walking, other than a fan or an umbrella, would also be welcome, can someone invent that please and get back to me "stat"!  Hot and humid is an understatement, hopefully I am sweating off calories ha ha!

Despite the blisters (Germolene is a life saver I decided!), I am really enjoying my exploration of Singapore.  Being in temporary accommodation close to Orchard Road is pretty fabulous.  Only a ten minute walk brings me to the major shopping hub in Singapore where there are so many major Malls it is mind boggling!  It is fascinating to walk round these Malls and check out not only the shops but the restaurants and food courts that are in each and every one.  Shopping and food are the major pastimes here.  I love finding my way round using the maze of underground walkways that connect a lot of the Malls, seeing the vast array of foods on display and just generally trying to figure out how it all works.

The MRT (Mass Rapid Transportation) system is very well organised and inexpensive to use making it easy to explore other parts of the Island.  The Marina Bay area is a modern wonder mixed in with tradition.  There is China Town and Little India and "The Quays", Boat, Clarke and Robertson which run alongside the Singapore River and are crammed with cafes, restaurants and bars of every description.  Clarke Quay even has massive air cooling and rain deflecting canopies so you can sit "outside" in comfort.

Everyday living in our tiny temporary apartment has also been interesting.  The kitchen does not have air conditioning, my real estate agent laughed when I asked "why not".  My so called laundry room is open to the outside and my drier vents to the inside so needless to say my kitchen becomes a sauna when I am doing laundry.  Nevertheless it is a very comfortable place and the complex has a small gym and great pool which I am trying to use in an effort to stave off all the food which is so hard to resist.

I started this web site and blog in an effort to share my pictures and some of my experiences with my family and friends back home.  Please bear with me - I am a newbie when it comes to Blogs and Web Site creation, hopefully, like my blisters, it will get better!!