Weekend Fun....

This past weekend was wonderful! After a long hard week all I wanted to do on Friday was to have a nice glass of wine or a really strong cocktail and I got both! So I met up with a few girls for ladies night! We met up at this fabulous bar on the 70th floor of the Swissotel Hotel called "New Asia Bar" (check out the views!) It is literally the best view of Singapore!




After a few glasses of vino, we then headed to the Martini Bar Mezza9 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel for the BEST Mangotini's I have ever had! Made with real fresh mango's, it tasted like drinking the fresh fruit, but after two......they were deadly!




By 11pm the lack of sleep from the week began to hit me so Sonia (one of the gals I was with) and I headed back to her house (she lives just down the street from us) where Jamie and a group of guys were playing poker. Needless to say, Jamie does his very best at Poker, but he is just too honest of a guy.....can't put on that poker face to save his life! I need to teach him some lessons! Once Sonia and I crashed the party, we had managed to get a second wind and convinced the guys to join us out for some drinks and dancing at a place nearby. I cannot remember the name of the bar we went too, but it was really fun and by 2am, you would find Jamie and a few others on a stage dancing up a storm! I can't bring my husband out anywhere! :)

On Saturday we had some old family friends in town! Livi and Bill Hyslop from New Zealand were in town for the weekend and we were so excited to see them! Jamie and the Booth family have known the Hyslops since he was an infant! Livi and Bill were in town visiting Caroline's (there daughter and one of Alana's best friends) boyfriends parents who live in Singapore (get all that????) We met in the early afternoon and took them to local eateries and famous sites through out the downtown area. It was a short visit as they had a busy weekend planned but it was really nice to see them and catch up. Bill is a character and I don't think Jamie stopped laughing the entire afternoon!




After our afternoon outing we then met up with Jon and Anya for dinner at the new ION Mall. Just what Singapore needs, another mall. It's like Seattle, every corner you look there is a Starbucks, well here, at every block there is a mall! This place is a zoo! There must have been thousands of people there, talk about shopping anxiety! We tried this great Thai restaurant, super yummy! I am actually interested in going back to the zoo soon as there were so many great restaurants to try!

Today, Jamie headed back to the states and I spent my day cleaning, laundry, grocery, cooking and I had the best nap ever! Talk about needing to re-group! We recently acquired some great furniture from our family friends the Birleys and I've been enjoying the couch and chairs in our living room. A few weeks ago Anya introduced us to CSI and I have been addicted ever since....so today was rest, relax and CSI marathon!!!

Culture Shock

Ahhhh...my first official week at work in a new a foreign land and I am going through a serious case of culture shock:

"Culture shock refers to the anxiety and feelings (of surprise, disorientation, uncertainty, confusion, etc.) felt when people have to operate within a different and unknown cultural or social environment, such as a foreign country. It grows out of the difficulties in assimilating the new culture, causing difficulty in knowing what is appropriate and what is not. This is often combined with a dislike for or even disgust (moral or aesthetical) with certain aspects of the new or different culture.

PHASES OF CULTURE SHOCK

The shock (of moving to a foreign country) often consists of distinct phases, though not everyone passes through these phases and not everyone is in the new culture long enough to pass through all three:

• Honeymoon Phase - During this period the differences between the old and new culture are seen in a romantic light, wonderful and new. For example, in moving to a new country, an individual might love the new foods, the pace of the life, the people's habits, the buildings and so on.
• Negotiation Phase - After some time (usually weeks), differences between the old and new culture become apparent and may create anxiety. One may long for food the way it is prepared in one's native country, may find the pace of life too fast or slow, may find the people's habits annoying, disgusting, and irritating etc. This phase is often marked by mood swings caused by minor issues or without apparent reason. Depression is not uncommon.
• Adjustment Phase - Again, after some time (usually 6 – 12 months), one grows accustomed to the new culture and develops routines. One knows what to expect in most situations and the host country no longer feels all that new. One becomes concerned with basic living again, and things become more "normal".
• Reverse Culture Shock (a.k.a. Re-entry Shock) - Returning to one's home culture after growing accustomed to a new one can produce the same effects as described above. The affected person often finds this more surprising and difficult to deal with than the original culture shock."

Let's see, I believe I fall in the "Get me out of this country" phase! I am really hoping that I learn how to adjust to life here as well as work life here (which I think is the biggest issue).

PRAY FOR ME!!!!

the new job

Two days in and I am overwhelmed! Let's see, where do I even begin?

The St. Regis is a STUNNING property! Not a single detail spared! Some fun facts of the hotel:

There are 3 restaurants and 2 bars:

• Yan Ting - legant Cantonese cuisine
• LaBrezza - Mediterranean
• Brasserie Les Saveurs - French cuisine headed by a Michelin-star chef
• Decanter - housing 1,500 labels of wine
• Astor Bar - Contemporary meets luxury

The hotel has one of the largest private collections of art in Asia. In fact they are gearing up to launch High Tea incorporated with a tour of each collectible piece that is featured. One of the biggest artist names (and the only one I can really remember at this point) is Picasso, in which the hotel owns several original paintings.

The work out facility (aka gym) is upholstered with Ferrari Leather.

We have an in house florist who changes the flowers through out the entire hotel, DAILY

I've seen 2 grand pianos

The ballroom is equipped with it's own custom lighting as well retractable sky lights

The Presidential Suite is one of the most ornate rooms I've ever seen (not so much my style, but I like simple) thinks lots of gold and marble.

There is more advanced IT equipment in the meeting rooms that I can not even begin to absorb it all

The Remede Spa is UNBELIEVABLE. It is the most beautiful spa I've seen to date, marble walls, marble flooring, waterfalls, water pools.....SO PEACEFUL!

Every guest room is fully wired with BOSE systems should guests like to have surround sound while watching a movie or to listen to their I-PODS

The list goes on but this is what I can muster up at the moment.

So far, it has been overwhelming but I HOPE to be able to adjust, it just takes time. My biggest concern at the moment is that my associates do not have a sense of WORK/LIFE balance......which will not work with me, so we will see how this goes. Aside from that I am being thrown, I mean I am jumping right in, doing what I can to learn the programs as fast as possible and to familiarize myself the the new market and clientele.

Day 2 and I am already tired!

Final ACL injury

My parents are going to be so annoyed, sorry mom and dad, I should have listened to you, again!

Let's see where to begin.........

Tear your ACL once, shame on the big girl that landed on my leg snapping my ACL - early summer 2001 basketball, resulting in reconstructive surgery

Partially Re-Tear your ACL, shame on me for not being more careful playing basketball once again - spring 2007 MRI determined slight ACL tear and miniscus damage.

Again further tearing my ACL, slipping down the stairs in Tonasket playing with my nephew - Oct 2007 MRI determined that the injury further tore my Ligament and suggested surgery, I opt for no surgery.

Ahhh now....Aug 1, 2009 DUM DUM Carmen, RE-INJURING my Left knee for the 4th time!! I'm not sure what is more frustrating, the fact that I can feel my heartbeat in my knee with some pain , AGAIN, or that fact that I've come to the realization that my basketball life is over. UGH!!!! THIS SUCKS, I am SO SAD!!! The team I was joining had a great group of women that could have been new friends. Most were from Austrailia and all were good athletes it would have been a great weekly workout to play with them......UGH! Time to reconsider surgery replacing ACL #2.

(the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, injury is a tear in one of the knee ligaments that joins the upper leg bone with the lower leg bone. The ACL keeps the knee stable.)


Jamie out with his street hockey team, they meet every Saturday for practice/games followed by some ice colds. Not sure how much fun street hockey is in 90 degree weather and 100% humidity, but it's great networking and most of the guys are Canadian, Jamie seems to really enjoy it....EH!?!?!?

Okay, gotta ice my knee and call in for some pizza. Gosh I really hope that I don't re-live my fat stage, the first time I hurt my knee and had surgery I gained 20+ pounds........it's one of my fears to re-gain that! UGH, WHY WHY WHY!!!!!!!!!