50 Lions Cai Qing Dance

The Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay was turned into a sea of red, yellow and white on Feb 21st by 50 lions from an award-winning lion dance troupe.

The lion dance performance set a record for the "largest mass cai qing ceremony" - earning an entry into the Singapore Book of Records.

Cai qing, (or picking the greens) in Chinese, is a ritual in which lion dancers overcome obstacles to get a bunch of green vegetables which comes with a red packet. This dance is performed all over the island in the weeks following Chinese new year.  Shops and Businesses book the Lion Dancers to perform the Cai qing dance for good luck in the following year.

Living so close to Gardens by the bay it was just a short bike ride for Kingsley and I to arrive at the Super Tree Groove to watch the record breaking Lion Dance.  Following the dance we found a shady patch of grass for a Saturday evening picnic dinner in the park. Later we were rewarded with a beautiful sunset over the city as we rode our bikes back home.






Chinese New Year the Sheep/Goat

The Chinese Lunar Year of the Goat arrived with a bang on Feb 19th.  Naturally Kingsley and I were eager to see what our Rat and Rooster horoscopes were going to be for the year.  

Thankfully it doesn't look like any major problems are in store for us however, should any obstacles appear we will be able to "surmount them".  

In order to ensure a smooth and prosperous year ahead,  all Roosters were encouraged to spend more time close to nature and to relax our bodies and minds.  For the Rats out there it is important to make use of your network of friends for opportunities and mutual benefits. 








"Love Boat" Valentines Day

Kingsley pulled out all the stops for this Valentines day.  Along with a few guy friends, Kingsley chartered a boat for a few hours to take us around Singapore.  There were a total of 12 of us on the boat, the six of us ladies were given NO details about the event in order to keep it a surprise. In fact some of the guys even secretly packed clothes and swim suits for their wives which caused quite a bit of shock and horror among the ladies.  Evidently, the swim suit that several husbands picked out for their wives was NOT exactly the same swim suit they wold have picked out for themselves!  I am eternally thankful that Kingsley is smarter than that and knew to warn me to wear a swim suit (of my choice) on our date rather than picking one out for me! 

The guys also packed a picnic style dinner for us. Though a bit haphazard (I lost count of how many bags of Nacho Doritos were brought on board), it was sweet to see how much effort they put in to planning our meal.  As the evening progressed there was some serious Bollywood "dance offs" and it ended with a refreshing swim in the ocean.  It was SUCH an incredible evening and an unforgettable Valentines day with awesome friends.  











Kittens - Minky, Mini, Enid (the Viking Princess) and Malcolm Inkwell

We just finished fostering another batch of adorable kittens that we had for about 8 weeks! I wrote up a brief description of our kittens for the SPCA to put on the website for adoption and guess what? They went up for adoption on Friday and were all adopted out by Sat afternoon! Good luck in your new home my little kittens!

Minky - (cream colored male with blue eyes) would love nothing more than to spend the rest of his life purring on his new owners lap starring into their eyes and giving them all his love and devotion. He has a very sweet and quiet meow but will patiently wait at your feet waiting to be noticed and picked up for a cuddle.

Malcolm Inkwell - (all black male) is a little timid of new people and situations. He tries to put on a brave face but once you earn his trust he will be the most loving and devoted pet. He has an adorable chortle sound he makes while he is purring happily on your lap.

Enid the Viking Princess (grey tabby female) is active, playful and fearless. She has never met a person or new situation that she didn't enjoy and she loves to play with lots of kitten toys. After a few hours of play she will happily curl up in your lap for a quick cat nap.

Mini (grey and white female) has a sweet disposition. She was the smallest in the litter when she was born but quickly learned to hold her own with her siblings. Her favorite trick is to sprawl out on top of the food bowl while eating to ensure she gets the lion share of the food.










Maya's Art Show Peregrination

Feb 5th was Maya's opening night displaying her artwork at the VolvoArt Loft and Kingsley and I were so excited to go and support her. The Art show is called Peregrination which means: a journey, especially a long or meandering one.  

I was so impressed with Maya's work.  As I personally do not posses this trait, her artistic creativity is something that I have so much respect for.  








"Heel Before Me" Ladies night at W hotel

The Woobar at the W hotel in Sentosa offers "Heel Before Me" ladies night every Wednesday from 7:30pm to 9:00pm.  This includes free flow Veuve champagne and chocolate covered strawberries for all ladies to nibble on throughout the evening. A bunch of girlfriends and I met up here as a farewell girls night out to our friend Clancy who is leaving Singapore and (ironically) moving to Seattle (Yay for me!).  We had a lovely evening sipping bubbles and giggling over all the fun adventures we have had together in Singapore.  If you are looking for a fun spot to sit and catch up with girlfriends I would highly recommend checking out the W hotel on Wednesday evenings. 


Bye Beautiful Clancy! I will see you in Seattle soon!