Kim's Surprise Bday

A few weekends ago we joined some friends at the American Club to celebrate our friend Kim's birthday.  It was a surprise party and amazingly we were all able to arrive at the Club without getting spotted by Kim.  She was (as far as I could tell) completely surprised to find us all hiding out in the private dinning room. 




The lucky girl had not 1 but 3 birthday cakes.  Without our family around it really helps to be surrounded by wonderful friends on special occasions like birthdays and holidays.




Kim's Bday from Lynn Wood on Vimeo.



Sailing to St. John's island

Friends of ours recently purchased a beautiful catamaran and asked us to join them for a day trip to St. John's island which is located about 30 min south of Singapore via boat.



St. John's island can also be accessed by a public ferry. There are several picnic areas and some beautiful beaches, but no restaurants or shops.

The island was first used as a quarantine holding area for cholera stricken immigrants back in 1874. As the years went by, St John's island was also used for various other functions:  

- As a penal settlement site to hold political detainees 
- A drug rehabilitation center for opium-addicts

As of today, the island is a fun place for visitors who wish to get away from the hustle of Singapore city life. But not everyone in Singapore is excited about visiting St. John's island as it is also reputedly haunted. There are several abandoned buildings scattered around the island. Once, a birdwatcher claimed to have heard an elderly lady crying. When he entered the house, there was a rusty dagger inside and a faint light appeared. For those brave enough to camp overnight the detention center has been converted into (very basic) holiday chalets. 

As for us, we were happy to spend a few hours relaxing on the boat, brushing up on our sailing skills, and exploring a new part of Singapore.




Cape Town - Table Mountain

Table Mountain holds such a very special place in my heart as it is the spot Kingsley chose to propose to me on Jan 3, 2006.  The day he proposed we did an EPIC hike up the mountain and right before we reached the top Kingsley pulled out the ring and the rest is history! 

This time around we took the cable car up to the top to watch the sunset.  We had about an hour to walk around before watching the sunset and in that time we actually saw a young couple get engaged.   It was very sweet! 




The sunset from Table Mountain is one of the most beautiful sunsets I have witnessed. 



Sunset over table mountain from Lynn Wood on Vimeo.