2 Cellos

If you haven't heard of these guys you should type 2 Cellos into YouTube and watch them in action. We saw them back in 2012 at an Elton John concert, having never heard of them before. I was blown over by their talent. Not traditional classical music they have done covers of Micheal Jackson, Cold Play and Nirvana. We regularly listen to their album on Spotify and when I spotted they were doing their own solo tour and passing through Singapore I was straight in there buying tickets.

The first half of the show was the music we had heard before, the beautiful slow music mixed with the pop and rock songs from their album. They were sporting 2 stunning looking electric cellos and a drum kit sat empty behind them.

Half way through the drum kit owner came onto the stage to join them and before we knew it we were rocking along to music from Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. The light weight electric cellos were being flung around like guitars and the drummer was is full flow throwing out the base. Amazingly talented guys and a hell of a lot of fun!

Learning to Run again

Running is my sanity, my keep fit and my stress relief all rolled into one wonderful activity. Whats not to love about running, you can do it anywhere (all you need is your running kit) and its a great way to explore a new place. I have run regularly for around 12 years, expect maybe when ill or on holiday, although I have been known to run then too. When I was travelling a lot with work I would run to explore and all I needed was room in my case for my running kit. Even in -10 Deg C in Norway I would just wrap up well and head out for a run.

Singapore, however, has turned running on its head. To being with I tried doing what I would always do, run from wherever I am staying. There aren't many side streets where we live so really means running alongside busy 3 lane highways with complicated crossings or in many cases no crossings but instead foot bridges over the road. The pavements seem to reflect the heat, the cars pump out additional heat and of course the noise and pollution thrown in there for good measure.

The constant stopping for traffic crossings is actually more exhausting that keeping going. It is when you stop that your start to feel like you are on fire. All that humidity is stuck to your skin making it damp as if your skin can't breathe.

So I did something I have never really considered before, I went somewhere to run. In this case the beautiful MacRitchie Reservoir, which is around a 10 minute bus ride away. Here I found some relief, I can run in the woods or along the reservoir side without stopping were there might even be a slight breeze. And so begins the battle to run further.......

Despite constant sips of water the humidity builds up, I can't explain how hard and frustrating it is to find something so hard that I know I could easily do in other circumstances. I know how to dig deep and keep going but when your body starts to fight back, feeling dizzy and faint there is little you can do to fight through. So I just have to treat it as a whole new challenge, lets face it if I can learn to run here, I can run almost anywhere!

Plant Shopping

We went for a trip to the garden centre today or in true Singapore style the 10 garden centers all lined up in a row. Singapore may have been recently voted the most expensive city in the world but you do still find some things cheaper that you would at home. In this case Orchids!

Row upon row of stunning multicoloured Orchids and not just the traditional style but also in there more natural bush/tree like form. I came away without any on this occasion but only because I decided I needed some furniture to place them on first.......

PS my herb pot arrived today, I picked the herbs, they planted it up, I love it! There will definitely be more ordered.

To Begin with

There are a lot of expat woman blogging about their lives and a lot doing so whilst living in Singapore. So...... what makes mine different. Probably not a lot really, its more of a diary, firstly for me because keeping a blog makes me keep a diary of sorts and one day I may reminisce. Secondly, for any of my friends and family that might be interested in what I'm getting up to, or just want some holiday ideas for when they visit!

I arrived in hot and humid Singapore two weeks ago today but it feels like a lot has happened so far. Lots of time spent getting the new apartment organised and the food cupboards stocked. This week I investigated what I could get up to as an expat and found myself overwhelmed by the number of groups, activities and get together's all geared towards expats (and particularity women) living in Singapore.

So, I feel the adventure beginning and therefore this is a good place to start this blog!