UN-day, Paradise, Halloween and Björn Borg...

At last I have found my way back to the BLOGG! I'm so sorry it has taken this long time but things are pretty hectic even on the other side of the world.

Well the last three weeks been very much an experience in it self. Starting of with the UN-day at the kids school. It was amazing to see, meet and hear about 52 different nationalities. Seeing all kids dressed up representing their own country was fantastic and my two boys did this really well with the two wonderful girls Ebba and Lilly. Their mother comes from Sweden and they have a Australian father. It was just wonderful and educational to be involved in this day. I got to borrow the Swedish national dressfrom the Swedish Embassy for my self as I was going to stand at the Swedish table and “sell” Sweden. The Swedish church and Embassy helped me a lot with promotional stuff so we could let people find out about Sweden. I owe them a great Thank you for the help, and off course IKEA as we bought the Swedish meatballs, Kalles kaviar, Hardbread (crispbread), Lingon sylt and saft/juice (Lingon & Fläder flavors) from them so the rest of the world could taste a bit of Sweden also.

Some of the national dresses was amazing. I let the pictures talk for them self. The kids had also been issued with a “passport” so when they visited a country they got a stamp to proof that they had been there. I felt like I was working at the airport at times. The day included a parade where all nationalities was presented, a show where different performances was held from different cultures and students and off course the popular part when you walk around visiting the different countries.

Tim with his Japanees school friends :-)








After this day it was the mid term break and the whole family went off to the very much needed holiday. We went to Malaysia to a small Island called Tioman. This is a beautiful small Island with wonderful snorkeling, beaches, rainforest and sunsets. We stayed at the Berjaya resort hotel. We had a wonderful room 20 m from the beach and 50 m from the pool, bar and restaurants.




When we got in place it felt like we where in paradise. And for us it was, we believe that we would never have discovered this place on earth if we had not moved to Singapore, and we would never have had the money to go there from Sweden. We felt like kings and queens. We went snorkeling twice during our time there and we discovered a whole new world....If you ever get the chance to do snorkeling in your life, please promise you'll try it. Swimming amongst hundreds of fish, the colors, shapes and landscape is fantastic. It is impossible to describe I have discovered I believe one has to experience it to know what I am talking about. We did get an under water camera too and we will develop the photos this week....


Well I'll let the photos from our holiday speak for themselves.

 

 

 Bollywood film music/video was made during our time in Tioman. If anyone of you usually watch these films I just want to say if you see the latest one and you think you recognise the blond bom....ll sitting at the pool during the dancing scene, yes you are rigth you do....;-)

  The rainforast..

Going snorkeling and in a singing mood.....

Solnedgång på Tioman.....love it!

Back from our holiday and back to work we discovered that we got red spots that was itching a lot and Tim got a really upset stomach, in fact it is still going on. So he has got antibiotics, I feel so sorry fro him as he also have had fever during this time. The doctors don't really know what the itchy spots are. I think it is something called “badklåda” in Swedish, which is harmless and goes away in a week. However, we haven't been sick since we got here (if you don't count my broken leg) so I think we have done really well. Touch wood now but we have not had any colds at all.

Well one thing has improved since I got here and that is my social life, I have been out for dinners, films, nights out so many times here that they would last for two years at home. I am not complaining, but it can be tiring, I don't think I could keep up with the “Hollywood Wifes” I almost understand their “hard” life.....;-) I went and so all 3 Steig Larssons films within 5 days. Film 3 was a little bit disappointing, I remember the book so much better. I know books are never easy to make into good films, but it started out so well with the first film. However, it will be interesting to see what the Americans will do with it all.

Guess what I realized watching the films over here, that the film was no tourist propaganda for Sweden. I don't think it was one sunny day, it was mostly gray, cold and dark. I also hope people will not think we swedes are all that bad....

HALLOWEEN........came too, we dressed up, the kids as vampires, grim reaper and the mothers as the “nice and wicked” witch, who was who, you have to guess from the photos, we all had a great time however.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I'm back at work and I love it, and I have been given the go ahead about riding again now. It is so fun to teach riders to ride, and I admire the school horses all over the world. My god they work for their money and they are so patient, they do their best all the time to give us the riders, beginners and experienced riders a fun and wonderful time. They are my heroes, and I wish more people could understand them for the kind of animal they really are.


I am amazed to see how they adapt to their situation where ever they are in the world. I sometimes think back to the new Swedish horse keeping laws that it has been so much discussion about and been thinking if they where applied to places like Singapore, Hong Kong and more places like that, these places would not be able to have horses. Is that good or not, well I am not the person to decide on that. But I believe that with good knowledge about horse welfare, then any place in the world can be a good place for a horse. I still believe in my theory that if the horse, humans don't get hurt or suffers from the way they are kept and trained and that no laws are broken and the environment is not damaged then it can't be a bad way of doing it.

The BHS exams are getting closer, it will be good fun to see how they do them here in Asia and I hope I have given the students some knowledge that will help them. I only wished we had some more time.

I almost forgot Tim has started to take tennis lessons and so will I.....YES you read it right, well I can't be here and not try something new also. And the tennis court is 50m from the flat, free to use I might as well try it out. So this Friday will be our first lesson, I'll let you all know how that went next time.

So until next time, take care out there and don't do anything I would not do...

/Mrs Marie “Borg” McIntyre

Freedom, Currys & Gods law...

Hi again,

Well another week has gone, it is amazing how fast the weeks goes. Last week was full of activities as usual. It was really fun to go for coffee morning at Style Nordic, it is a shop that sell furnish, accessories and cloths from Nordic countries. It has some incredible nice things, if you want to shop Scandinavian quality things I recommend Style Nordic. It is a Swedish woman that owns the shop and the SWEA women had a lovely coffee morning there.

The really good news this week (I think) is that I don't need my extra pair of legs anymore, when the specialist told me, I almost jumped up with joy. Luckily I didn't, as he told me I am not allowed to jump or run yet... So now I'm to swim and cycle to train and strengthen my ankle. I'm FREE again! A couple of visits to the physiotherapist will also help off course. Unfortunately riding will have to wait a while as the ankle has to be stronger.

This means that I will start work today Tuesday, YES, I can't wait. I really hope my new clients going to be nice and that they will enjoy me as a riding instructor. I'll let you know next week how my first week at work went.

Friday this week I went to the hairdresser for the first time in Singapore, luckily I had managed to find a Singaporean that lived in Sweden for 10 years and educated herself to a hairdresser in Sweden... It felt a bit safer than to go to someone totaly new and not know if we will understand each other.  What is fantastic here is that you get a head massage also when you cut your hair, I don't complain! I did still play it safe the first time as I only cut my split ends and fringe. And I survived!

I did learn something interesting this week about Singapore law. They have this law that they call Gods Law, and if you feel innocent you can apply to Gods Law when you are defending yourself. What it really means is that if a catastrophe like flooding, earthquakes happens, no one is to blame for it and that it is Gods Law.... Which is fine, but in this case it was a woman that was hit by a falling tree and the court claimed that the owner was responsible for his tree hitting her as it stood on his land and he should make shore the tree is safe for people passing by.  Although, if the tree had stood on public land and fallen on the women it would have been classed as Gods Law... Eeeh, do I have to say anything else...

Saturday evening it was time again for the second BBQ. It was a Pre Grand Prix F1 BBQ, You see the Formula 1 Grand Prix was happening here in Singapore this weekend, we thought we will save that one for next year, it is so much things happening here in Singapore, it is impossible to do it all at once! The BBQ was great, good food, good company, can one ask for more in life? Didn't see any Formula 1 though :-D

My social life have really improved since I got to Singapore it is great and god fun! Sunday the whole family whent to Little India, to have a great curry, and it was super. No plates for the food, it was BANAN LEAFS instead. See the pictures, the boys where amazed! A sunday in Little India is bussling, as sundays, are the big day off, for most people, everybody gathers to meet there (if you are from India). It is coloureful and smells from the food and people, defenetly worth the experince.

The Banan Leaf Apolo in little India!

The boys week have been good! They work hard at school, do homework, swim in the pool, play with friends. And this week they got their new Bicycles, it was great, now they want to cycle everywhere we go.
Theo is relly improving in his English, although he doesn't always realise it himself. You can tell it is making his brain working on overtime. At night when we are going to read he often says, -can we read in Swedish please it is to much English here. Bless him. Tim he works harder than he needs, as always. Have anyone got a recepie on how you explain to a child that he is doing more than well and that he doesn't have to be best at all times. The recepie has to make him understand it too....

A proud bycicle owner..:-)

Why does the spelling check give up on me everytime I'm writing this? When I really need it, it stops doing the check and I can't get it working again. Well I have to apologies for my mistakes....

Some pictures of Theo in a show off mood :-D

Dancing king in swim gear...

New hairdoo...

I also have to show you my autum signs, these shrubs grow at the entrance at our estate and a few days ago they where green and now they are orange red. Yes some autumn coloures and feelings... I almost felt the crispy cold, frosty morning back home when I discovered them this morning.

Well I better be off now as I have to prepare for the kids and Myriam to be on there own this afternoon until Davie gets back from work.

See you all again soon, take care out in the big, big world!

LOL / Marie

Manicure, lobsterparty, Diplomas and Bird Park another exciting week in paradise....

Hi again!
 First off all I would like to say THANKS to everybody that have commented on my blog. It's great to read and it means a lot to me because it shows that you think and care about us and take time to read all the "gobiligoo" that I write. I hope you all feel our love to you all, as we want so much to share our experiences with you all. We wish you where here.....

OK, where do I start this time, well for you who has fb maybe know about the bet I did with my friends and neighbours. I was to show them that I could grow my nails long and paint them red.... And for me to do that, They had to look after plants from me, to nourish and care for meanwhile we are away, and the one that has the best looking plant when we get back has missed (love) us most...  :-)

Well grow them long has been no problem for me, they grow like weeds. But painting them red......Haven't managed that yet. But I went for a manicure and got them done for the lobsterparty that Davie and me where going to. Result.....

They aren't black! It's a dark blue/green base with the white flower. My dress is also blue green thats why the coloure.

I feel very posh, I must say, and the manicure it self was "fab". Next time I will do a pedicure too! At the cost of 150 sek for the whole nail job one can treat oneself to it ever so often...:-). The red will come later, I still have time to do my part of the bet...

Now the swedish lobsterparty was great! Loots of good lobsters and other food, the snaps was cold, the beer and wine kept beeing filled up all night, one can't complaine. We sang swedish snaps songs and danced to ABBA (well I didn't dance, but next year I will!)

Me ready for the party, took the Aircast off for the occasion..

Talking about food, weel whent shooping again, as one does, but it's a totally different experience here than home. A lot of the veggies are hard to know what they are for and how to prepare. And sometimes its not easy to get someone to explain how and what. Even when they explain someetimes you just smile and say, OK, beacuse you don't still know what its all about!

 This is White Radish, a little bigger than our red radish....

What this is I still don't know as it only is writen in Chinees on it. I do think it is a Japanees vegetable. The research is ongoing...

Now, this is not food from the shop, but some peolpe eat it so I thought it would fit in here. Now this snail I saw near our flat. It was 6 cm long and 4 cm high, it is the biggest snail I have seen in the wild, amazing I think...

Talking about food that people eat! Davie came home the other day and told us about one of the students at his work that sat next to him that day eating lunch, and do you know what he eat???? Cooked Tarantula! His mum had cooked it last night for him.....Its a poisnus spider........The world is throwing away mountains of good food every day and someone choose to eat Tarantula! gbnhg!

Well we had a nice experience me and the boys when we yeasterday went to the Jurong Bird Park. It was amazing with all the beautiful birds. I let the pictures speak for them self.

The bridges up in the air amongst the birds...African village with real looking statues..

Feeding the birds was a real highlite, the boys loved it! The Bottle tree was great to see too!

Well we have got a really nice maid living with us, she is soooo well organized! It put my messy mind to shame. The flat is now always tidy, clean and organised. She is funny, kind and good to the boys. She had her Birthday on her first day with us so we had to by her a cake and celebrate it with her. It was a great start to her. Her name is Myriam and she is from the Phillipines. She plays basketball and vollyboll in her spare time.

Well folks I think thats all for this time. We miss you all and we whised you could all be heare with us sharing our experinces. Because they are great.

I almost forgott the most important news this week! Tim came home last friday day after he spent a couple hours at the swedish school which he thought was great, as he got to meet other swedish children. They are 15 in his class... But the next thing he told me got my soft spot proud so the tears came. He had a school assembly in the morning and he got a DIPLOMA for best homework studies, best listner and other things! Can you believe that!!!!

Know Take Care!