tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131877762011-04-22T12:31:27.884+08:00Don't worry, Jeff and Amanda will come home someday. Until then, we want to give our family and friends a glimpse of life as expat-newlyweds.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comBlogger461100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1131425746663256892005-11-08T12:33:00.000+08:002005-11-08T12:55:46.676+08:00

Jeff and I have been home in Chicago for over a month and I'm at loss for what do with this blog. We've loved using this site to keep everyone updated about our lives, but now that we've settled back into our lives here, I see this blog needing to morph into something different. I'm open to your suggestions, so send them to me.As for us, Jeff's back at work in his Chicago office and I just

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1127317569049060992005-09-21T22:49:00.000+08:002005-09-21T23:50:24.766+08:00

Cambodia meets and far surpasses any expectations Jeff or I may have had before we arrived. It's too soon for me to feel comfortable making declarations about how or what this country is, but this place leaves me feeling in awe by the accomplishments of mankind, angry at the suffering that lingers from war and corruption, in tears over the number of crippled and impoverished children, and humbled

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1126968687759393052005-09-17T22:01:00.000+08:002005-09-17T23:37:39.480+08:00

Faithful readers, I can't wait until I've got free Internet access again, because wow! do I have a lot to tell. I need to keep this brief because I'm paying 100 dong a minute.After leaving the idyllic and laidback Jungle Beach where we spent our time in hammocks and rustic beach huts, Jeff and I found ourselves in Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon, as it used to be called. Thank God we're leaving

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1126401373922873052005-09-11T09:01:00.000+08:002005-09-11T09:16:13.930+08:00

Leaving little Hoi An in just a bit for Jungle Beach, a little beach hideaway outside of Nha Trang (a.k.a. China Beach). We've really enjoyed our stay in Hoi An and met some incredibly friendly people, a few of which we'll be keeping in touch with. Yesterday I took a half-day cooking class with the Red Bridge Cooking School, which involved a trip to the market, a boat ride to the restaurant, and

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1126009880146829402005-09-06T19:55:00.000+08:002005-09-06T20:31:20.153+08:00

It's only been six days into this trip and already Jeff and I have travelled via plane, bus, cyclo, boat, motobike and train. After leaving Hanoi last night from a two-day trip to Halong Bay, we caught an overnight train to central Vietnam. Being the classy people that we are, I'd booked us on 1st class sleeper cars that afforded us some degree of rest, considering it was a 12-hour trip. The

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1125624127119172372005-09-02T08:22:00.000+08:002005-09-02T09:25:49.950+08:00

It's a bright, clear morning in Hanoi and I'm letting my husband sleep in on our first day of our honeymoon. Jeff pointed out to me yesterday that we're just shy of being married six months. I know we're not very traditional people, but I still can't believe it's taken us six months to get to the point where we have longer than a weekend to relax and celebrate this marriage. Yet considering how

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1125536381550828902005-09-01T08:01:00.000+08:002005-09-01T09:05:31.723+08:00

It's our last morning in Singapore and our plane to Hanoi leaves at 15:30. This feels very bittersweet for us, because there are some very lovable parts to Singapore. There is so much that I know Jeff and I are going to miss:never being cold or having to think about the weatherthe courtesy and good manners displayed by young and old alikecheap and accessible public transportation that makes

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1125482679161125682005-08-31T17:54:00.000+08:002005-08-31T19:19:33.006+08:00

Boys and girls, you're all invited to Amanda and Jeff's next party. Details will follow, but for sure we're doing it up at Fort Albany. And 20 bonus points go to those who knew Oct. 15th is also Jeff's birthday.By the way, we fly into Chicago on Friday, September 23rd.

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1125403090112568792005-08-30T19:23:00.000+08:002005-08-30T20:16:09.026+08:00

The past few days have been a rash of bureacratic nonsense in preparation for our departure. Turns out American Airlines won't issue tickets to people outside America, requiring three overseas phone calls to reserve our booking and then a trip to a local travel agent to actually purchase the tickets. I really thought AA was a much more global company than that, but I guess not. Then the boxes

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1124869977249321552005-08-24T14:33:00.000+08:002005-08-25T06:07:58.183+08:00

There is some food that I'll never have again that I miss so much. My grandmother's homemade tomato soup for one, the light and perfect pancakes my grandpa used to make are another. I'm starting to feel this way about all the local food we eat here. I know that Jeff will miss his canteen at work where he gets lunch every day from one of the many food stalls. I've never been, of course, but it

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1124698807561898902005-08-22T15:07:00.000+08:002005-08-22T17:09:11.800+08:00

One of my very bestest and oldest friends had a baby on the 19th and I missed it. Granted, I had begged Vanessa to have her baby boy while I was in Chicago, but instead he decided to come two days after I left. Right on another famous Leo's birthday, my brother Matt's, I might add. However, I'll never forget spending my last night at home with Vanessa and my mom, sitting around the kitchen table,

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1124415067672080682005-08-19T08:57:00.000+08:002005-08-19T10:15:32.113+08:00

Flew into Singapore late last night to be reunited with Jeff, once again. Hopefully this was the last time for a long time that we'll have been apart — I find that life is just flavorless when Jeff and I have been separated for too long. Not to say that I didn't enjoy my time back home in Chicago, but Jeff is such a vital part of our home.And now we're rounding into our final two weeks in

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1122910334559353362005-08-01T21:47:00.001+08:002005-08-19T10:35:03.166+08:00

Just got back from our trip to Phuket. Amazing sums up this experience. We didn't spend much time on Phuket, which was OK because Phi Phi Island was our primary destination. Phi Phi is located just about 40km away from Phuket and is this incredible backpackers' paradise struggling to recover from the tsunami. On our ferry ride over we met Paul, a Scotsman that originally came to Phuket for two

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1122467958125076752005-07-27T19:36:00.000+08:002005-07-27T20:42:45.260+08:00

Jeff came home early yesterday with some good news and some bad news. The bad news being that his project isn't launching this weekend like we thought. The good news is that he's taking Friday off so we can go away this weekend. These setbacks are pretty frustrating. At least at VSA, the busy season was confined to a finite period of time. But these things are out of our control and it doesn't

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1122288892882554302005-07-25T18:07:00.000+08:002005-07-25T19:06:32.096+08:00

Someone, possibly Mattie, once remarked that Jeff's good at everything. He's just a natural at sports, with an inherent ability to be really good with practice. Lord knows I don't have that. With his genes, there's hope for our future kids. But even I wasn't prepared for the bowling strike streak that Jeff pulled out on Saturday night. We'd reserved a couple lanes to bowl with Jeff's crew, and

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1122024572557083862005-07-22T16:58:00.000+08:002005-07-25T18:56:50.676+08:00

I honestly can't think of the last time I've been to a birthday party for someone under 10. So it was pretty cool of Francis and Cindy to invite us to their daughter Teagan's 2nd birthday bash. Lots of Jeff's crew turned out, plus a few of the kids and folks from our building.The birthday girl, resplendent in denim.The ladies of Fraser Suites."I'm still thinking up my wish."Tian, Pradeep, Preethi

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1121861048959576572005-07-20T19:18:00.001+08:002005-07-20T20:16:08.643+08:00

As I was leaving the apartment today, I saw my first lion dance! I really heard it first, as the sounds of brass and drums in Singapore usually mean that there's a Chinese ceremony/parade/celebration nearby. A new restaurant, Gourmet-Cellar, opened across the street from us and was celebrating their grand opening. For as modern as Singapore is, the Chinese can be very superstitious and the lion

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1121669913258128452005-07-18T14:51:00.000+08:002005-07-18T14:58:33.260+08:00

I got my tickets this morning for my trip home. I'll be back in Chicago on August 2nd, leaving August 17. I ended up having to book with horrible United, but they really do seem to be the lowcost carrier lately. Plus I got rid of one plane change and layover, which cuts the trip down by several hours. Now if only they can keep to the schedule and not lose my baggage.

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1121661189624618822005-07-18T11:07:00.000+08:002005-07-18T19:40:45.393+08:00

Jeff didn't have to work at all this weekend which meant I got to spend two full days with my husband! That may not sound like a big deal, but given all the hours he puts in, it is. On Saturday, Jeff surprised us both by being up and showered by 9am. I had this idea that we should go to Ming Village, a kiln which supposedly makes antique reproductions of Chinese ceramics. After taking the MRT to

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1121410443844043342005-07-16T12:26:00.000+08:002005-07-16T18:01:38.203+08:00

Back home at Fort Albany, Jeff and I have seen our fair share of alley cats. Most of them are battle-scarred bruisers that look ready to beat me up when we cross paths in the garden. A little rough around the edges, but still pretty much whole. And here in Singapore there is a fair number of strays haunting the coffeeshops and restaurants, hanging around for some spare morsels to come their way.

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1121261374369826982005-07-13T21:13:00.000+08:002005-07-13T21:36:14.256+08:00

I'M COMING HOME!!! Jeff just told me that I've been granted a few weeks leave to come home and take care of some of our personal affairs. Unfortunately, he has to stay in Singapore and work, so this is going to be a solo mission. I still need to figure out travel dates, but it's likely I'll be in Chicago for a couple weeks in early August. The plan is that when I get back to Singapore, Jeff will

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1120886346030526322005-07-09T13:02:00.000+08:002005-07-09T18:17:51.053+08:00

Hmm, what would Jeff and I be doing this weekend if we were back in Chicago? Why, that's easy! We'd be at the annual Folk & Roots Fest, organized by my sis-in-law Colleen for the Old Town School of Folk Music. I understand Chicago weather is still ungodly hot, so bring some sunscreen and a cooler to Welles Park and check out the music scene. And since you're likely to run into my in-laws, Jenn,

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1120798588687080222005-07-08T12:28:00.000+08:002005-07-08T12:56:28.693+08:00

For our final day in Bangkok we really only had time to take in Wat Po and the Reclining Buddha before leaving for the airport. My dad and I had planned to get thai massages, while my mom (perhaps still smarting from her reflexology experience) decided to sit this one out. For being such a basic operation, the people at the Wat Po Thai Massage School are really world-class. As I described during

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1120728739107522152005-07-07T16:41:00.000+08:002005-07-08T12:07:32.640+08:00

My friend Preethi and her in-laws raved about the Damnoenssaduak floating markets, saying this was not-to-be-missed. So for our second day in Bangkok I booked us all on a full-day tour, complete with aircon bus and guide. And a full day it was. We left the hotel at 6:30am and got to experience a weekday morning in Bangkok. As ordinary as that sounds, I found it fascinating because the streets

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1120714902725428682005-07-07T12:20:00.000+08:002005-07-07T16:19:12.083+08:00

It was my privilege to show my parents Bangkok last week. After placidly sterile Singapore, the contrast with Bangkok was pretty stark. When we saw Jeff after we got back, he asked Mom and Dad to describe Bangkok in one word. "Overwhelming" was Mom's choice, "exotic" was Dad's. Bangkok literally has hundreds of temples (wats), so for our morning outing on the first day we took a river taxi up to

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1120564689551311162005-07-05T19:18:00.000+08:002005-07-05T20:04:33.206+08:00

No 4th of July celebrations in Singapore, which may be the first time in my life that this holiday's gone unnoticed. I don't think any of us even remembered this was a holiday weekend until it was time for me to fix dinner on Sunday after a day of packing. I ran across the street to the grocery store and realized that usually I'm eating hotdogs and hamburgers at a backyard cookout right about now

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1119775674643141942005-06-26T16:20:00.000+08:002005-06-26T18:07:36.823+08:00

With the humidity and heat, gardening in the tropics must be so easy. Today we checked out the Singapore Botanic Gardens so we could visit the National Orchid Garden. It amazes me that orchids, that are so expensive and exotic back home, grow rampant in the ground here! Singapore cultivates original and hybrid species of the orchid, including Miss Joaquim, the national flower of Singapore. They

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1119697725263917062005-06-25T17:55:00.000+08:002005-06-25T19:40:51.203+08:00

My dad made the observation to me that Singapore seemed dominated by young 20-somethings. I realized then that I hadn't shown him the more everyday side of Singapore, away from all the commercial and touristy attractions. So we got up early on Friday to go buy fruit at my local wet market in the Tiong Bahru HDB estate. Most Singaporeans live in HDB housing and going shopping in the morning at the

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1119432192360949462005-06-22T16:45:00.000+08:002005-06-26T16:58:54.643+08:00

So here I am making comments about adventurous eaters, and I myself had not yet tried durian, the most notorious fruit of all Southeast Asia. You know how some things seem to taste just like they smell? Well, durian certainly throws people off because it smells so nauseating that buses and other public places forbid its very presence. Yet even with the odor, durian has its connoisseurs that rave

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1119320838524114792005-06-21T08:40:00.000+08:002005-06-21T16:53:59.526+08:00

In the dark of night, after 24+ hours of travel, my parents arrived for their visit. It was so good to see their familiar faces in the airport — Jeff and I are both so happy to have them here! For Mom and Dad's first day here, we took a bumboat tour of the Singapore River. We got some great views of the major sites of Singapore, like the Merlion, Raffles' Landing Site, and the Esplanade. I've

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1118980960961991722005-06-17T11:54:00.000+08:002005-06-17T12:52:22.530+08:00

Our place at 2473 Albany is going on the market soon and Jeff and I are looking for another couple to buy it with us. We have an idea what it's going to be listed at right now, with final appraisal numbers coming in next week. Many of you know the wonders and beauty of 2473, so for a Logan Square two-flat with a huge garden and backyard, this is a great opportunity.Please email Jeff or me ASAP if

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1118926747584807432005-06-16T19:47:00.000+08:002005-06-16T21:01:03.146+08:00

Back in the day, the pre-colonial day that is, Singapore was mostly covered with tropical rainforest. While progress has cleared most of that forest, a huge nature reserve of primary and secondary rainforest remains on the slopes of S'pore's highest hill Bukit Timah. It's said that Bukit Timah has more species of trees on this hill than exist in all of North America.I've attempted to hike Bukit

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1118721696161958152005-06-14T11:08:00.000+08:002005-06-14T19:16:27.483+08:00

Bangkok is now my favorite place I've been to in Asia. The people, the pace, the culture, it was absolutely dazzling and such a new experience! Jeff laughed at me a lot because he says that normally I'm pretty sophisticated, but in Bangkok it seemed I was all naivete. We arrived on Friday night at the lovely Sofitel Silom with enough time to go out for dinner at the nearby Patpong night market.

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1118390610612797822005-06-10T15:03:00.000+08:002005-06-15T13:53:19.763+08:00

Ni hao! I'm coming upon my last week of level 1 Mandarin classes and today was the best class yet. Our laoshi (teacher) took us to Tea Chapter, a local teahouse, and we had our lesson over tea and dim sum. Tea Chapter is especially cool, because it's in an old Chinese shophouse that is true to its roots. Usually a lot of these shophouses are gutted and only the facade is kept. When you take tea

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1118323797829845522005-06-09T20:58:00.000+08:002005-06-09T21:29:57.833+08:00

Tonight I attended a gallery opening for a Contemporary Studio Glass Exhibition that Fraser Suites sponsored in conjunction with the Singapore Arts Festival. 'Round the Coyote it is not, but I have to admit that besides the art, part of the draw of attending an art opening is always the free cocktails and the chance to talk to some of the artists.Glass is such a fragile medium that I'm not quite

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1117885518697335082005-06-04T19:04:00.000+08:002005-06-04T19:45:18.703+08:00

My dear husband surprised me this morning with the news that I'm being whisked away to Bangkok for my birthday next weekend! OK, so I've been dropping subtle hints right and left that I wanted to go there for my birthday, but still, what a surprise (it worked)! So for the next few days, I'll be scouring the travel books and sites to plan what to do and see. Bangkok is about an hour-and-a-half

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1117511314699711342005-05-31T11:20:00.000+08:002005-06-02T11:28:13.596+08:00

Normal media advertising is all fine and well, but there's something to be said about getting live actors and models to work the promotions. I like the buzz it creates and personally, I think it's a whole lot more memorable. For example, when the movie "The Ring 2" came out, or "Samara" as it was called over here, an actress walked around Orchard Blvd (Singapore's answer to Michingan Avenue)

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1117448435144230482005-05-30T17:17:00.000+08:002005-05-30T18:22:32.863+08:00

On Tuesday we managed to squeeze in a visit to the BOH tea plantation before our 10:30am bus back to KL. As luck would have it, our taxi driver actually grew up on the plantation with his mother working as picker and father in the factory. He pointed out where his old school used to be, the spot where the kids played football, and even his old house (see below). According to him, life as a tea

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1117263368021706972005-05-28T14:12:00.000+08:002005-05-28T18:24:52.603+08:00

On Sunday from KL, the group split up with the men and Cindy going back to Singapore, while Karen and I went on to the Cameron Highlands. Since arriving in Asia, I've gone crazy about tea, and the Cameron Highlands is known for its spectacular scenes of tea plantations, English cottages and rolling green fields. After a dirty, but bearable four-hour bus ride, we arrived at the most charming hotel

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1117196436747555552005-05-27T19:33:00.000+08:002005-05-28T18:36:08.926+08:00

Our second time out of Singapore came last weekend, with a group of us spending the weekend in Kuala Lumpur (KL). Francis and Andy work with Jeff, and I hang out with their wives Cindy and Karen quite a bit. We took a 4-hour bus ride up to KL on Friday night and spent Saturday and Sunday checking out the city. Malaysia is predominantly Muslim, and we spent most of Saturday at the Museum of

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1117190714640919222005-05-27T18:24:00.000+08:002005-05-27T19:02:25.393+08:00

I'm not joking when I say Jeff works all the time. Most of you remember Jeff is not a morning person, but now he is out the door for work by 8am, which doesn't stop him from working until after midnight most nights. After a couple weeks of that routine, we really needed a change of pace and scenery, which we found at Bintan Island in Indonesia. The great thing about Singapore is that it's a hub

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1117188566172811292005-05-27T17:32:00.000+08:002005-05-28T16:27:58.060+08:00

Before Jeff got here, the Rimpakone sisters had described Singapore to us as "Asia on training wheels." That's a pretty apt description, because life here is very Westernized and modern, which is pretty remarkable for a country that's just 40 years old. Because the Brits governed Singapore as a colony for so long, spoken English is influenced heavily by the Brits. For example, I take a "lift" up

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1117184152824253032005-05-27T16:41:00.000+08:002005-05-27T17:22:04.713+08:00

Jeff works with some pretty cool people, who we hang out with when we can. This particular Saturday, Marisa, Crystal, and Crystal's husband Jimmy came with Jeff and me to a hipster flea market I had read about. On the walk there, we stopped at the Tyler Print Institute which had an opening for this very cool Beijing-based printmaker, Zhu Wei, who was showing huge-scale woodblock prints.Not having

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1117182508933526802005-05-27T16:07:00.000+08:002005-05-27T19:11:23.510+08:00

Our first weekend together in Singapore, Jeff and I decided to check out the local Japanese and Chinese Gardens. The Japanese gardens had tons of bonsai trees, Zen rock gardens, summer houses and koi ponds. And all around the Chinese gardens were strange over-sized flowers that looked like they lit up at night, coupled with Chinese statutes of various characters that I'm not familiar with. It was

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1117181255033134572005-05-27T15:50:00.000+08:002005-05-27T19:07:58.476+08:00

I've got a little catch-up to do for everyone, so the next several posts are going to be of past events and trips Jeff and I have taken since arriving in Singapore after our wedding in March. Once we're caught up-to-date, I promise to try my best to keep this blog current.First of all, I think most of you know Jeff's company gave us an apartment to live in for the duration of this project. Fraser

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187776.post-1117105161436075212005-05-26T18:44:00.000+08:002005-05-26T19:03:21.466+08:00

I'm not sure if it was looking at photos from last weekend's trip to Malaysia, or hearing Erika's voice for the first time in months, or possibly just being a little homesick, but whatever it was, Jeff and I are creating this blog to keep in touch with YOU, our friends and family. We miss you all like crazy and this seems like the best way to share this strange experience of being expat-newlyweds

Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12737716138691755812noreply@blogger.com