Back in Singapore

I know I know. This is the longest I've gone without updating the blog but I'm sure you all appreciate what I had to go through the past couple of weeks.

I've started work. To be honest, it was actually a relief to be at work after 2 weeks of running around trying to look for apartments & schools then settling in etc. I have already been to Ikea more times than I'd like to admit. But that's all done & even broadband's been installed (hurrah for singaporean efficiency).

No food pictures cos I haven't broken in the kitchen yet - need to go shop for pots & pans this weekend.

Because everything happened so fast, it's all so unreal. I still can't believe I'm back in Singapore & already, my life in France seemed like such a long time ago.

I've also missed blogging & catching up with what's happening with my blogging friends. Don't worry guys, I'll come around soon enough.

Now that I'm more or less settled down, I'm looking forward to enjoying the city. I'm already planning what to do this weekend - there's the Christian Lacroix exhibit at the National Museum, checking off the shows at the upcoming Singapore Arts Festival & if the weather is nice (ie less sweltering hot than it has been the past few days), perhaps a walk around Botanical Gardens.

Any place else you'd recommend going ?

We might as well be living there

We go to Vals les Bains so often, it could be our second home. It's a spa town less than 10 mins drive away. Hugely popular esp in the summer & we're there twice sometimes three times a week. Why, you might ask ?

Well for one, they have a huge park. The only one around here. I know we live in the countryside with wide open spaces everywhere but it is a mountainous region so it's nice to have flat wide open spaces for children to cycle. In the summer, the park is the venue for all kinds of events, concerts & the once a year Festival de Jeu.

The town is on the banks of the Volane river & apparently saw it's heyday in the 30s. All year round, a lot of people go there for cure & treatment.

Apart from that, Vals is pretty happening. There is a casino, cinema ( where The Girl watched her first movie on the big screen - Kung Fu Panda). theatre, exhibition room (remember Gaby's exhibition) & a municipal pool. The latter is only opened during the summer months but when they do, we're there at least once a week - there is an olympic sized pool & 2 smaller pools for children.

There are many restaurants & in the summer, some of them feature live bands. The Girl & I had a really nice dinner on one such occasion. Sigh, if only it happens more often.

The Sunday market is also really popular & in the summer, there is even a night market on Thursdays. Beatrix, another Vals institution is an ice cream parlour that has been around for years.

Here's our standard activites at the park

Cycling
Merry Go Round
Playground