Thursday, June 2, 2011

That Makes Three

This morning I was putting dishes away in the cupboard when I saw a little stick looking thing hanging out from the fan/hood over the stove.  After analyzing the situation carefully, I wondered... Crap, it's the leg of a cockroach.  Our maid was in the kitchen with me (telling me to stop putting the dishes away because she'll do it), and I asked her if she thought it was a cockroach.  Yep, it was.  And she would just get rid of it.  We had a good chuckle about how scared I am of the little (big) critters.  She isn't afraid at all.  Well, she's from a tropical climate... I'm from Newfoundland!  What does one expect?

So there it is.  Our third cockroach... in the apartment that is.  I've had several nearly crawl over my feet while walking around.  And such is the life in the tropics.

Three is the magic number today.  I have three weeks before our new arrival enters this world - if all goes as planned!  I think I'm nesting... my energy seems to have doubled lately while I do laundry, pack bags, purchase last minute items, and start to prepare and freeze meals.  What's happened to me?!

Last night, we bought the most groceries we've ever bought here - ingredients for the many frozen meals I'm going make (planning anyway).  You can collect stickers for discounts at the grocery stores I frequent.  Usually, outside the grocery stores, an auntie or two wait in anticipation... hoping the customers will relinquish their stickers.  We always do.  The lady serving us last night told us that they've had so many problems with the aunties arguing over who gets the stickers and other incentives, that they have had to cut out one of their promotions (but the stickers we always get were still in effect).  We have actually had this happen to us... one of the aunties asked us for our stickers, which we gave to her, and the other got mad at us because they were supposed to be her stickers.  Ooops.

By the way, aunties and uncles also sell tissues around MRT stations and tunnels and in coffee shops (Kopi Tiams).  Local restaurants do not give out napkins.  And several bathrooms in these places don't have tissues either.  I always have a stash in my purse.

I'm not only 'nesting'... I'm taking full advantage of my baby-less time.  Singapore offers amazing international theatre, art, and dance - something we'll miss when we leave.  And we've gone to many shows.  Last weekend, we attended a dance show... but in all my years of dance... loving all forms from classical ballet to modern hip hop to creative artistic dance... I've never seen dance like this.  I'd call it dark art on stage.  The music was loud and techno and shrill.  The 'dancing' included incredibly slow movements making bodies look deformed at times.  One 'angel' character creeped slowly around the stage, stared eerily into the audience, and then screamed a high pitched shrill as if being tortured, which echoed throughout the auditorium.  Another guy squirmed on the stage - it kind of looked like he was floating.  Another guy squirmed on a bench... naked.  There were performers doing the Haka - a traditional native New Zealand dance - throughout the show.  They slapped their thighs, stamped their feet, and shuffled around the stage in perfect unison.  There were video images of famous faces, and another piece of art hanging that at some point looked like blood was being poured over it.  Overall, the show left us feeling dark and confused.  We stayed for the post-show talk by the choreographer, which we usually do, and this shed some light on the show's meaning.  It was meant to be deeply political, addressing the issues of global fear post 9-11.  The guy is brilliant for sure... but we didn't get the right meaning from it at all!

Next weekend we're going to another circus - seems to be a spin off from Cirque du Soleil (hoping it's a comparable quality!)... much lighter than last weekend's show.

I have three weeks left to soak in Singapore.  I expect the 4-5 weeks post baby will be more baby focused, although we'll still take in what we can.... maybe some local postpartum activities (of course, all the other newborns will be in confinement!)... and maybe I'll finally have that Singapore Sling the Raffles Hotel is famous for creating (hmmm... baby may not like that in her milk... maybe I'll just have a sip).

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