I love a good promotion. Oh, you want me to spend money on things I don't need or want and you'll give me more things I don't need/want for free...?? Yes, I'll take them all.

lost in translation

Yesterday in class:

Cute little Norwegian kid looks at a fat russian girl and says: "You're fat."

Russian girl just looks at him and smiles. Clearly, she doesn't understand.

I say, "Hey! Why would you say that? She's not fat."

Cute little Norwegian kid looks at her, looks at me, and says "Yes, she is."

Me: " That's not nice! What should you say to her?"

Cute little Norwegian kid looks at the fat russian girl, and then looks at me, then to her and says "Why you so fat?"

That's not quite what I was looking for. The fat little russian girl just smiles and has no idea what is happening. I was trying really hard not to laugh at their honesty/miscommunication.

waka waka

Shakira was amazing. She is such a rockstar and amazing dancer. What a great concert. I discovered a few new favorite songs: Gypsy, Loca, Addicted to you, Islands and Sale el Sol. Love her. If you have the opportunity to go see her, do it. About 30 seconds before the concert, my camera died so I only have a few pics from my phone. We were soo close too!

awesomeness.

THIS website is hilarious. Thanks, Rebs for this gem. To be honest, I'm getting a little sick of people posting every single moment of their child's life on facebook. I mean, what the hell? Just because your kid can eat oatmeal and you find this extremely entertaining doesn't mean that I will enjoy it. No one will ever think your kid is at cute/smart/awesome as you do. This doesn't mean I mind seeing pics of your cute kids, maybe just not excessive videos of them spitting up because you think it's really cute. It's not. If I have kids and I start posting stuff like that, please stop me. Anyways, I love this blog and how the mom writes the stories and then draws crappy pictures. Entertainment at its finest. Scroll down to the mermaid story.

Project: Get in Shape

So it's time to lose that Egypt weight. No, not for the wedding but you do start to think about that fact that you're going to wear a white dress that will be in pictures that you will have for the rest of your life. It's actually hard to lose weight when you really try to. I decided a few weeks ago that it was time to lose the 15 lbs I gained in Egypt. I weigh myself every Saturday morning at the same time on the Wii. Let's see how I've done.

Week 1 - I lost 3.5 lbs. I know what you're thinking : How? What secret diet is this? Tell me everything. Well, here it is: I didn't change any of my eating habits and went for a run twice that week. However, it was a very busy week at school. Our school is ridiculously huge. 4 stories and no elevators. So when I say I was running around all over the school that week, you can imagine how many flights of stairs I went up and down.

Week 2- I gained 2 lbs. And I was actually really trying to watch what I ate and exercised more. However, because of this- I think I drank more. :(

Week 3- I lost 2.6 lbs. I ran once this week and had a salad 3 times for lunch. It's progress I guess.

Next week- who knows? I just discovered something better than Thin Mint Cookies at the supermarket- seriously might be the highlight of the year. I would say I'm mildly motivated to stay focused on losing weight. If you have any tips that don't involve changing my favorite foods and/or alcohol intake- please share.

summer reads.

First of all, I have to say that I love my kindle. It's so easy when traveling to carry all the books you could possibly need with you. I think I've downloaded about 20 books already. It's awesome how you just hear about a book from someone and then 30 seconds later you have that book with you. Love it. I actually didn't read that many books in Africa considering how much time we had. I guess not being able to read when in a car doesn't help. Anyways, here are the books I read and my cents.

This was really good- as the title suggests. The author is from South Carolina, I think, and so uses many Southern phrases and situations. I love how she just sums up living in the South so well. Also, she's hilarious.

Well, if there's a sequel, you gotta read it, right ? It might have been better than the first one, not really sure. Just chick lit with no real meaning.

This is one of those books about Africa that you are supposed to read. I was really disappointed with this one. So many people have recommended it. I thought it just had too happy of a story for Africa- and the story is certainly not happy. Apparently, it's one of those books that white South Africans love. I just thought it fell short on all the rave reviews. Read it for yourself- I'd like to know what you think about it.

Ha, I just had to.

This was incredibly insightful. It's only an essay, not an entire book. I love Jon Krakauer's style of writing as almost an investigative reporter. He looks into the guy who wrote 3 Cups of Tea- which I loved- and how corrupt his company is (and how he can't be trusted). Krakauer was a friend of Greg Mortensen so it seems to come from a very personal feud but backed with many details and facts. If you have read 3 cups of Tea, and have thought about supporting them financially, you should really read this first. Definitely changed my views on it.

Currently reading this. It's about a girl who travels the world. She's surprisingly uninteresting and writes about dumb things like which guys she hooks up with and how traveling is exciting. (No shit, Sherlock.) However, I really liked to read the part where she lived in Egypt. She has a perfect perspective that I think every Westerner woman has while living in Egypt. Every woman goes through the same situations, thoughts, feelings, emotions as she writes. Also, I like travel books just because traveling is exciting and addicting.

Size Really Matters or It's An American Thing

If he liked it then he should have put a ring on it. Since I've been engaged, the number one question has been "Can I see the ring?" Oh, what, you can't see it from where you're standing ? You know where it is. The next question is "Where did he propose?" followed by "When's the big day?" It shocks me how much everyone just wants to see the ring. Is it the style or the size you want to see? Don't answer that. I already know the answer. I've found with living overseas that it's a very American thing to have a large engagement ring. Nowhere else in the world expects it or even wants it. My ring is actually bigger than some of my friends' rings here, but compared to my American friends - it's miniature. When O went ring shopping, he thought about it for awhile. He really contemplated what to get. What style would I like- what size- quality- etc. I don't really know that much about diamond rings, and he even knows less. So he went to a well known jeweler- Lee Hwa- and found one he liked. Then after he proposed, he gave me the option to upgrade the ring. We went into the jeweler to see what they have. Apparently, my ring has a number, is conflict-free, and is the absolute highest quality in clarity, colour and what are the last Cs ? Can't remember. Owen's words were "I thought you would pick quality over size." Ummm... no, I'm an American girls from the South. I want a big ole ring. After looking at the prices of the same quality ring that I currently have, but just in a bigger size- it's shocking. There is no way I can handle responsibility for something that expensive. So while my ring is small for the American standard- really it's not small and it's gorgeous. People really do comment on how pretty it twinkles and I can live with myself if I lost it- well, I'd feel pretty bad, but not like- damn, that was the down payment on a house , but like- oh, that was 3 months rent- oh well. You have to look at what can you do with all that money?What really matters? Spend it on a ring or spend it on life experiences that really matter. I also like the idea of being able to upgrade but choosing not to. It makes me feel less shallow than I really am.

one of my favorite things...

Once a month, the guys have a golf night. We have night golf here which everyone loves. The guys go off after work, the girls get together for a few drinks, then I go home and enjoy my favorite combo: bubble bath, candles, good music, red wine. Later on, I watch a chick flick and fall asleep eating chocolate. (It's every fat girl's dream)

*I just realized that the bathroom kinda looks like a hotel.

fooooood

If you know me, then you know I like to eat. Why have I not blogged more about food?? One of my favorite breakfasts is avocado on toast. Simple, but deelish! For some strange reason, the best bread in town is found at the Petrol Station next door so I use 2 slices of that and 1/2 an avocado. Add a little sea salt and fresh pepper on top and you will start your day the right way. I have this about 3 times a week.

* Please note, I do not endorse the nutritional aspect of this meal- it could be healthy, but it just tastes too good for that.

Where to?

What do you do when you have 10 straight weeks of work? You daydream about places you want to visit.... This will be the longest stretch of work this year. After this, we have a break every 3 weeks. (the way it should be) There are so many places I want to go see! Can't wait for Myanmar in 4 weeks!

"Sorry, can't talk- I'm in a 3 way"

Soooo we have Parent-teacher-student conferences at my school. And I'm basically the only person ever who gets the giggles when we talk about our 3 way conferences. "So how did your 3-way go?" It's actually really great. I get annoyed with my students, but they are really good kids. Their parents are very supportive and just want their kids to be happy. So while it's a long 2 days meeting with parents/students- but no teaching!- it's really not that bad. However, I am ready for a nice glass of wine at the end of the day!

so many activities.

One thing I just love about Singapore is that there's always something new to do. O and I have agreed to try a new place each weekend since we've been back in Singapore. Yesterday I had High Tea at the Fullerton Hotel- very posh for a Baby Shower. While I did that, O went to a wine festival and came back with mucho vino. Last night we went to a standup comedy show at the Dutch Club which across the street from us which was surprisingly funny. The comedians were Aussies and Brits and were good. There's so much to do here, I can't imagine ever getting bored.

This article has a list of top 10 things to do here.

1. Botanic Gardens- totally agree! I'm a little biased since I live about 10 minutes from the gardens, but they are so beautiful.

2. Art work at the Ritz- haven't been yet

3. Chinatown heritage center- haven't been yet

4. plastic surgery- what?? really??

5. electronics for cheap- no, not as cheap as thailand or korea

6. Haji Lane- haven't been yet

7. Singapore Flyer- haven't been yet

8. The White Rabbit- haven't been yet

9. Geylang- haven't been yet

10. Zouk- not my scene

I would say one the of top things to do would be the Zoo which is awesome and the Bird Park and MacRitchie Nature Reserve. Lots to do outside. Also, I really want to go to Universal Studios at some point. Next weekend, we have tickets to the F1 race downtown and concert tickets for Shaggy, Boy George and Shakira- can't wait!

Pinterest.....what the what?

Thank you Ms K, for another way to waste my time. I was having a really hard time trying to explain what Pinterest is to O. So you like stuff that other people also like. So everyone likes the same stuff. And you do this because...... ?? The thing that really bothers me about this is that I can't actually buy anything. So I like the stuff... but then what? Am I supposed to go make it?? I'm definitely no Martha Stewart. The clothing pics just make me want to know where they are from! It's driving me crazy! And the food pictures just make me so hungry. All in all, it's a terrible idea for someone like me who will sit on the ipad and pin stuff for hours at a time. As if the internet were not already a source of time wasting. But I love it.

Things I like.

My friend, Jamie, said to save pictures of things you like on the internet and make it into a collage to so you can see what everything would look like altogether. These are words of wisdom. So apparently there IS a group of colors I like, I just didn't realize it.

I like how guys wear khaki pants and a tie- no jacket. What do YOU think???? Any good ideas?? Would it be weird to have bridesmaids dresses in that color AND have the guys in khaki? I just don't like crazy colored bridesmaid dresses that are so obviously bridesmaid dresses. I'm thinking definitely ivory for my dress. Not sure if I should have it made here? One shoulder?

HELP! Opinions needed.

So I changed the pictures- I just took a screenshot of what I had saved.

DIY, my ass

The wedding planning has begun seeing how we'll be having guests from literally around the world. The biggest hurdle is finding a place which is not as easy as it sounds. We've looked into hiring a wedding planner, but the ones we found don't really find places for you. They just help you out once you already have all your ideas. Well, I don't really have any ideas because I haven't been secretly been planning my wedding since I was 12. I have no idea what colors I like or what kind of dress or invitations or any of that. There's a lot of stuff I know I DON'T like. So I'll start there.

Things I DON'T like about weddings:

-wedding cakes

-veils

-unity candles or unity sand or unity anything. vomit.

-DJs who try to be funny

-ministers who try to be funny

-inviting people just because they are family, but you haven't spoken to them in about 15 years

-bridal portrait sessions- why? what do you do with these pictures??

-wedding dresses- if I see one more strapless dress....

-tuxedos

-garters

-weddings that all look the exact same

Things I do like:

-having fun

-drinking good wine

-good food

-casual attire

-cupcakes

-sparklers

-outdoor weddings

-creative photography

When you start to look for nontraditional wedding stuff, you are sent in a hippy-Iloveplanetearth-chaitea- buddhist ceremonies. I kinda want something casual, fun, and easy. Which is apparently not how you describe the typical wedding. Everything looks complicated, fancy, and expensive.

On a positive note, here are a few places we've been in contact with.

Garden Valley Petaluma

Gloria Ferrer Winery

Shambhala Ranch