100 degrees

Well, my trip home has come & gone. It went by really quickly this time – I should have come home for 3 weeks, but I only did 2. While I got to see almost everyone that I wanted to, there were a few that I didn’t. :-( But, the next 5 months are going to go by very quickly, and then I’ll be back in July. And, as several people asked while I was back – yes, when I come back in July, it will be permanent.

It was pretty warm in Singapore right before I flew back to MN. And, as most of you know, it’s been pretty cold in MN this year. So, over the course of a couple of days, I experienced more than a 100 degree temperature drop. Lots of people commented that I chose the worst time to come back, but I enjoyed it! When I got off the plane, and saw my breath – I got a big smile on my face.

Two friends from Singapore were also in town during this period of time. They didn’t seem to enjoy the weather as much as I did. :-) But, one did admit that 32F felt pretty good after experiencing –10F.

Of course, there were other good things about coming back in January, other than the chilly weather. I got to celebrate my Grandma’s 86th birthday with her & most of the family. I haven’t seen some of my Aunts & Uncles for a long time, and it was a lot of fun to catch up with them again.

I got to go snowboarding with J & Brian one day, and enjoy a season other than year-round summer. Apparently the cold weather scared people off, because the slopes were surprisingly empty.

It was also time for the annual guys weekend up at the cabin. It had to be one of the coldest years that we’ve done it. It was –10F when we went out to the lake to play broomball, but that didn’t stop us. We were out there for over 2 hours. The rest of the weekend was spent drinking, eating, watching movies, and playing Guitar Hero (finally, a video game that I don’t totally suck at).

It was fun to come back & meet the new babies in friends’ lives. I met Dan & Katie’s new daughter, as well as Matt & Wipa’s new son. Both were very cute. And, it was fun to see the other kids too. I got to shoot Nerf rockets with Ryan, and make monster faces with Elizabeth.

And, of course, let’s not forget the food!
Full turkey dinner, since I missed Thanksgiving
Pizza(s)
Tater-Tot hot dish
Chili
Burrito Loco
Buca
Pepitos
Lasagna
etc...

I got back to Singapore just in time to celebrate Chinese New Year. Last year, I was out of town until New Year’s Day, so I missed seeing the festivities down in Chinatown. I went down there this year, and was amazed at how many people were trying to fit into such a small area! I started out in the early evening – wandering around the streets, trying food (all the food vendors were trying to clear out their stocks), and people watching. As the evening went on, more & more & more people kept filing in. By 11:00, it became clear that I wasn’t going to be able to see the stage (despite the fact that I’m quite a bit taller than most people here). I decided not to get stuck in the crowd trying to leave after midnight – so I went home & caught the countdown on TV.

Welcome to the year of the rat. Gong Xi Fa Cai! (I’ve finally learned to say something in Chinese!) :-)


Singapore has pretty much shut down for CNY. The streets are like a ghost town – there are barely any cars driving around. It’s pretty weird to see.

Being the new year, I’ve decided to make a new year’s resolution. I’ve only got 5 more months in Singapore, and there’s still a lot of things that I want to do (both here & in other countries). So, my resolution is to have some kind of story to tell after every weekend. I’ll have time to rest when I get back to the States.

Stay tuned…