What a Glorious Day...

For the last few weeks my internal alarm keeps going off at around 4:30am. This is an insane hour to be waking each day. But believe it or not I am actually excited get started in my day and see what unfolds. Usually I use the extra time to have a quiet coffee by myself and catch up on some reading. But this morning I felt inspired to head to the beach to take in the sunrise. The sunsets here are amazing, but I must admit this is the first time I have taken the time to see a sunrise. Being that this was my first attempt, I actually had no idea what time the sun arose. I was in my car with coffee in hand around 5 and was stumbling in the dark at the beach around 5:15. The thing about darkness is what it hides. My mind was restless wondering if my bare feet would step on a jellyfish or scorpion. I think this applies to each of our lives when we walk in darkness. But as the sun peaked over the horizon it reminded me how faithful the sun is in lighting our way. Suddenly as I was walking in the sand the shapes that caused me alarm brought about beauty. Each day is new, filled with promises that the previous day didn't contain. It was a great way to begin my weekend. You should try it sometime and see the world afresh as a new day unfolds

So Excited!!!

Most of you probably know my dear little sister is getting married in about 2 weeks! I can't wait for the night before the wedding (we're having a sort of slumber party then) when I can pass onto her the wisdom or lack of wisdom that I have experienced in my 15 years of marriage. Not only that, but I am absolutely bursting with excitement to fill my days with family time. Kieran and I fly in exactly 10 days back home to Canada. I knew I would miss home living abroad, but I am aching to sit and have a heart to heart with those I love! We arrive back on familiar soil May 8th, Mother's Day! The great thing about living here is the time change in some ways. I get to celebrate Mother's Day here in Brunei, and then again back in Canada May 8th to celebrate it again, this time with my mom! Our plane lands around 5pm and we are meeting about 12 other family members, including my Grandma who I have missed dearly, for a Mother's Day dinner. I'm hoping the joy of seeing the faces I've missed will make up for the jet lag I'm sure we will be feeling! More to come.... but for now can you feel my excitement??

Just for you Sandra...

While Keith and Sandra were visiting, Sandra tried to get a photo numerous times of our teapot roundabout. Well this one is for you! You can now appeal to your council for such a decoration on your roundabouts!

Also one of the things Sandra wanted to see was the Hornbills that are native to this area. It seemed each time she wasn't in the car we spotted the Hornbills. Well on Tuesday as we were driving home from school we saw a flock of about 50 Hornbills flying overhead. I know you were in the air at that time. I'm thinking the Hornbills gathered overhead to wave goodbye! Hope you had a safe trip home. We miss you both already!!

Singapore Cont...

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early to take on Singapore. We decided beforehand that we were going to take the tourist approach and board a tour bus to make the most of our time in Singapore. We took a taxi to the Singapore flyer, bought our bus passes, and quickly made our way to board the flyer.

The Singapore flyer is 541 feet at it's peak. It takes 37 minutes to make one full revolution. I am terribly afraid of heights, but I seem to have been conquering my fear lately. I did have an initial moment of panic when the doors closed and I knew I was stuck for the next 37 minutes. But after a big breath I took in the amazing sights. I've always been a small town girl, but the thrill of a bustling city is calling me after visiting Singapore.

After we finished our loop on the flyer we headed to the second part of the tour. We boarded The Duck, Darla Duck to be precise. The duck is an amphibian vehicle. We had a half hour tour on land around the city, and then we took to the water for a tour of the harbour. The boys especially loved it when our duck took to the water as the driver had to floor the vehicle into the water. A few unsuspecting tourists got a little wet, including Keith!

We toured the harbour and got a close up look at the amazing architecture Singapore is famous for. The bottom left picture has a building that looks like a boat is parked on it. This famous building is the Marina Bay Sands Resort. We didn't get time, but you can visit the peak of this hotel and take in the sights. We were told there is an amazing infinity pool that overlooks the entire city.

Once the Duck tour finished we boarded the open top double decker bus. We decided to stay on the bus for the entire loop before deciding where to get off. It was great to see the city without tiring out our toes. We got off in Chinatown and toured the market before heading back to the hotel. I was a sucker for punishment. So while everyone was resting before dinner, I took to the mall. I came home with empty bags, but thoroughly enjoyed the people watching.

For dinner we headed down to Clarks Quay. It is a hub of restaurants that are dotted along river. The architecture was amazing. The whole area had these umbrella like structures towering over it. We had a nice glass of wine during happy hour and then make our way to a Scottish restaurant where we had a great steak dinner. In case you were wondering what Evan was wearing... That afternoon he purchased a chinese outfit. He said this was for him to learn Karate in, but he was eager to wear it to dinner. No, there wasn't a problem with my camera, the suit was made of silk and was quite shiny.

One more thing to add about the evening. Across the street from where we were having dinner was another restaurant called Clinic. It was the oddest thing I have ever seen. The chairs you sat in for dinner were wheelchairs. There was a hospital waiting room complete with nurse waitresses. To top it off your drink was brought in an IV bag on the stand! It seemed quite popular, and my kids loved riding the wheelchairs!

Singapore

We arrived in Singpore around noon on Friday. Even from the sky I could tell this was going to be an amazing city to explore! My first impression on the drive from the airport was how clean and manicured the city was, quite different from most Asian cities. We dropped our bags at the hotel, had a quick bite of lunch and then started exploring this exciting city.

Our first stop was at the MRT station. The boys have never ridden a subway. So after navigating how to buy a ticket and which train to catch we jumped aboard. I love taking a step back and seeing how locals live in the city. So riding the subway was exciting as we gripped the handles and rode the sway of the train. We arrived at our stop and headed toward the harbour of Singapore. We wandered around a mall, took many photos and planned what we wanted to see the following day. The bridge in the photo below is near the Singapore flyer. The bridge is an exact replica of our own DNA. Pretty neat!

Kuala Lumpur

Last week we took our first of two trips with our family. We flew to Kuala Lumpur on Friday evening and had 3 great days in KL. On the Saturday we spent the day touring around KL. Some of the spots we visited was the fabulous park beneath the Petrona Towers. We had hoped to be able to go up the towers, but the tickets were already sold out at that point. So instead we headed up the KL Tower. Some say the views from the KL tower are better than the Petronas Towers because then you can see the twin towers from the viewpoint. You can see our hotel on the top right picture. It is the one with the swimming pool on the roof. While at the tower, we visited a zoo. Evan was so brave to hold the Python!

Later that evening we went to Chinatown and Little India. Chinatown was a bustling madhouse. One quick walk through it was enough. While we were in the central market we came across a fish spa. Sandra had mentioned that she wanted to try it. I absolutely love the look on her face as the fish nibbled her toes! It's great to say she did it, but I think once was enough!

::

One of the main reasons we went to Kuala Lumpur when we did was the Formula One race was one. The men and boys had plans to watch the race on the Sunday while us ladies headed for some retail therapy. Unfortunately, there was a bout of sickness going around that held the boys up. So they relaxed at the hotel. But it didn't stop Sandra and I. We had a lovely day shopping just the two of us!

:: Family Time ::

For the last couple of weeks we were enjoying our first visitors who came all this way to our life in Brunei. This is Rob's parents, Keith and Sandra. We did a bit of touring around Brunei. The above pictures were taken as we boarded the boat to see the floating village in Bandar. We've done this trip before, but this time the water taxi docked us at the village and we were able to tour one of the local homes. While on the water we saw Prohibis monkeys, a small crocodile, and a huge lizard. The kids were still quite busy with school while they were here, so we stayed near home quite a bit. We did plan two trips with them while they were here. So stay tuned for a mass of photos coming your way!