Vuuuhuhuuj

Lauge is saying goodbye to K1 Sagar and hello to K2 Dr Seuss - and we are so lucky to have his K1 teacher as K2 teacher.

Balls in the bay

Marina Bay Countdown

Lauge in snow

And he had a blast. How often do you jump in the pool, play in the rain and then see the snow fall, all on the same day and never wearing anymore than a t.shirt? Awesome!

Snow in Singapore

Det er sørme, det er sandt

1. december: Risengrød
2. december: Mince Pies og børnebobler
3. december: Skumsne

Øh og så blev det den 15. Men vi har julet i varmet!

Nisser

The Farm Nisse is a mythical creature of Scandinavian folklore. The Farm Nisse were believed to take care of a farmer's home and children and protect them from misfortune, in particular at night, when the housefolk were asleep.
The Farm Nisse and his family dwells mainly in barns, stables and stalls, but he also inhabits lofts and attics – so long as they are not too tidy. The Farm Nisse is kind and helpful. He takes care of people and animals all year round. It is very important to be on good terms with the Farm Nisse, otherwise strange incidents can occur on the farm. It is wise to remember the Nisse during Christmas and to put a bowl of porridge for him and his family.

More on http://www.trollshop.net/trolls/nissen/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomte.

Hvad foregår der i Danmark

Pictures

Had to make our albums on picasaweb private, please send an email if you would like access to them.

Colorfulness of names

Lauge and I have made invitations to Yi Ying, Samantha, Jiamin, Nicole, Xinmeng, Tiya, Rui Qi, Amber, Dora, Zi Xiang, Koo Weng, Ethan, Daniel, Ellen, Mun Jun, Chitru, Shu Yang, Yoshika, Yixuan.

Pouring rain

Jumping mud holes, being soaked, overfilled drains, happy happy boys running, jumping, sliding through the huge amounts of water in Clementi Woods on the the way from Little Skool House to The Stellar.

Big and plentiful

Truly enjoy all the big leaves, seeds and flowers falling to the ground all year round.

Fællesmail

Sidste fællesmail er dateret efterår 2006, så er det på tide igen? I anledning af at det er første efterår siden uden huset fuld af flyttekasser. Eller er fællesmailen blevet til fortid i mellemtiden, af min alder eller af de sociale tjenester.

På den ene side er det paradis på den anden side det modsatte. Var svaret sidste sommer fra en dansker der 15 år tidligere havde boet en årrække i Japan. Jeg har ingen grundlag for at sammenligne Japan og Singapore (selvom her bor mange japanere og vi har 4 sushi-restauranter 5 minutter væk), men jeg vil vove at påstå at jeg forstår svaret bedre nu.

Her er på den ene side fantastisk og fascinerende. Velfungerende, indbydende, rent og sikkert. Disneyland?!

Her dufter af mad fra alle Asiens lande, her er smækre asiater i lårkorte nederdele, her er kinesere på cykel med avis over hovedet for at dække for regnen, i vores lokale park myldrer det ved højtider med mænd iført taqiyah, børnene er i institutionsuniform fra 18mdr, gadebilledet byder også på sarier, tørklæder, paraplyer for at dække for solen eller det tropiske regnskyld og med englændere som er lettere at komme i tale med end dem i England (men det kan man vist også sige om danskere, som her i øvrigt vrimler med).

Du kan købe alt, men det er ikke oplagt hvor.
Og dog her er næsten ingen økologiske købmænd og man kan også diskutere det økologiske mærke, når det er produceret i New Zealand, pakket i England og sendt til Singapore. Eller når man er på engromarkedet og det eneste sted med aircondition er i den økologiske butik. Her er et par økologiske gårde, men de kunne i den grad lære noget af gårdene i Boulder.
Kvalitet og service er sjældent prioriteret højt.
Her er vist alt i plastiklegetøj med (forfalsket?) eller uden CE-godkendelse. Stormagasinerne følger årstidernes skiften (eller jeg ved stadig ikke hvor jeg skal finde sommertøj). Ellers er højtider (og lysten til vintermad) det eneste andet der gør opmærksom på årets gang. Jo da, træerne blomstrer, taber blade og kaster smukke frø af sig, men de gør det ikke i samlet flok, så selvom der kan være fyldt med efterårsblade kommer der ingen efterårsstorm, mørke og kulde - og et eller andet sted forventer jeg det stadig.

Lauge går i lokal børnehave og med hans leverpostejfarvede hår er han let at finde blandt de 250 sorthårede børn. Lauges engelsklærer spiller guitar, tager døde fisk med i skole, arrangerer vandkamp og vil ikke give lektier for selvom mange af forældrene ønsker det (men hun synes vist alligevel at vi er lige sløve nok til at gå op i bogstaver). Lauges kinesisklærer er han blevet glad for, fordi hun er god til at forklare ting og der er megen leg. Jeg ved ikke så meget om hende, andet end hvad vi fagter os til når vi taler sammen (for jeg ikke nået langt med Mandarin-lydbåndet).

De største smil (eller måske griner de bare af mig) får jeg når jeg kommer cyklende med trailer. Vi bor lidt ude på landet, synes mange i hvert fald. Kan kun se et 20. etagers hus fra hvor vi bor. Til gengæld har vi universitetet lige overfor, to parker i gåafstand og vi kan se hvor øen slutter, hvor containerskibe ligger til og sejler fra.

brinkmann.eftertanke.dk havde får nylig en liste over hvordan fremtidens mennesker vil bedømme nutidens. Jeg havde med det samme et ekstra punkt, hvad vil de tænke om den måde en rig bystat behandler indonesere, phillipinere og sri lankianere og hvor ellers tjenestepigerne kommer fra.

Som taxachaufføren i dag sagde: Livet er så kort, men bliver slet ikke levet her. Det handler om penge, penge, penge og penge. Og det går stærkt her, ikke bare med Formel 1 i weekenden, Ungdoms OL sidste måned og alverdens andre små og store arrangementer. Børnene har travlt og det er ikke med at lege. Vi bor i lejlighed med kæmpe pool i gården og det er ren glæde at hoppe i dagligt og havde regnet med at vi ville møde de lokale børn i vandet, men de er i skole eller til berigelsestimer. Hvis de er i poolen er det ofte med eneunderviser til at forbedre svømmetagene.

Der har lige været midefterårsfestival med månekage, pomelo og laterne i måneskinnet (ikke meget dans, heller ikke til Miss Elliot, hvordan skal man danse og filme samtidig). Det kinesiske nytår i februar var farverigt og larmende. Mon vi kommer på cykelferie i Kina?

Happy feet

Try Vibram FiveFingers.

JUCY

Had a fantastic holiday in Queensland, Australia. The old, bumpy, noisy van took us to places we will dream of for long. The JUCY vans looked quite good, so will check them next time (will there be a next time, ooh I hope, I´m not done swimming in Australian water falls, nor walking in their gorges).

Modern slavery

• Maid in Singapore I'm a 29 yr old Filipina domestic worker in Singapore. I've been here for four years and experienced pain, suffering, loneliness, happiness and joy during this time. This blog is my story, my attempt to describe life here as a foreign worker from my point of view. There are almost 200,000 of us here yet our voices are seldom heard, our opinions seldom counted.
• Maids are Human Beings too In addition to feeling strongly for the rights of foreign domestic workers, she has also been a strong advocate of the rights of house elves.
  
• A False Necessity: Singapore’s Maid Trade In my gleamingly modern home town of Singapore, trading in women has been refined to a stomach-churningly efficient art.

Palmeolie

Mere om palmeolie:

• Palmeolie som functional food
• 'Grøn' diesel af palmeolie skaber koks i klimaet
• Dansk selskab laver bæredygtig palmeolie

Freedom

Got my bike and trailer today (thanks a million to Kristinna and Jens). Both the boys and I are thrilled to be back in the seats.

Skybridge

7 50-storey housing blocks connected. Go there: Pinnacle@Duxton.

Where are the great outdoors

Alongside ‘eating’, shopping is considered the national past time on the island. Ranging from hi-tech wares to designer wear, there is something for everyone. Browsing around local markets and shophouses in the ethnic enclaves to the glitzy portals of Orchard Road, the experiences are wide, varied and even intriguing. [1]

We love being here for two years, but it will never ever be our city!

Hey diddle diddle

Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed to see such fun
And the dish ran away with the spoon!
More rhymes


The picture is from Art Garden @ Singapore Art Museum. Wish it was an ongoing exhibition. What (and when) will be their next Children's Season.

Midsommer

23. juni står der bare H J E M V E med alt for store bogstaver

Vi elsker vort land,
når den signede jul
tænder stjernen i træet med glans i hvert øje,
når om våren hver fugl
over mark, under strand
lader stemmen til hilsende triller sig bøje:
vi synger din lov over vej, over gade,
vi kranser dit navn, når vor høst er i lade;
men den skønneste krans
blir dog din, Sante Hans!
den er bundet af sommerens hjerter så varme, så glade.

Vi elsker vort land,
men ved midsommer mest,
når hver sky over marken velsignelser sender,
når af blomster er flest,
og når kvæget i spand
giver rigeligst gave til flittige hænder!
når ikke vi pløjer og harver og tromler,
når koen sin middag i kløveren gumler:
da gå ungdom til dans
på dit bud, Sante Hans!
ret som føllet og lammet, der frit over engen sig tumler.

Vi elsker vort land,
og med sværdet i hånd
skal hver udenvælts fjende beredte os kende,
men mod ufredens ånd
over mark, under strand
vil vi bålet på fædrenes gravhøje tænde:
Hvert sogn har sin heks og hver by sine trolde,
dem vil vi fra livet ved glædesblus holde;
vi vil fred hertillands,
Sante Hans, Sante Hans!
den kan vindes, hvor hjerterne aldrig blir tvivlende kolde!
Holger Drachmann: Midsommervise (1885)

Durian Delight

A new shop across the road. Wonder if we will be able to smell it.

But very happy they do not sell dried fish.

Mango

When we came I tried a bunch of different mangoes and fell completely for honey mango from Thailand. Seems they are off season now and a new winner is on, the Pakistan mango I got from the Wholesale Centre last week was top yummy.

Art Garden

We went to Art Garden (Children's Season at the Singapore Art Museum) this weekend and I was thrilled - and so was the kids. We gotta go there again again before it ends July 18th.

Lost on Planet China

One of the books I ordered from bookdepository.co.uk was J. Maarten Troost: Lost on Planet China and I give it top point. If you are up for a an entertaining and insightful armchair travel companion go for this one. I finally got China on my geographic world map.
Now I´m on Mark Leonard: What does China think. That one is really interesting (I have same reading speed on this one as on The Economist, so slowly working me through).

Books

Look at this: The Book Depository Live

Palm oil

On the way from Singapore to Mersing, we drove by palm oil plantations, I would say 90% of the time. Palm oil is being used everywhere, even on wine gums. Greenpeace on palm oil.

Dragon Island

Had a fab holiday on Tioman Island, gotta find more getaways on www.myoutdoor.com.

According to legend, Tioman Island is the resting place of a beautiful dragon princess. Whilst flying from China to visit her prince in Singapore, this beautiful maiden stopped to seek solace in the crystal-clear waters of the South China Sea. Enraptured by the charms of the place, she decided to discontinue her journey. By taking the form of an island, she pledged to offer shelter and comfort to passing travelers. [1]

Holiday

Coming up the next months and we look forward to it. First some fresh air, dark nights and sea breeze at Pulau Tioman, at Bamboo Hill Chalets and in the Boat House at Bagus Place. Second deserted roads, dark nights, rock boulders, Queensland winter coolness, high quality produce, ... in a campervan from Cairns to Brisbane.

Canvas Print

This week I finally decided what pictures to go for on canvas and ordered at Brilliant Prints. Now the nails are set and the prints are truly brilliant.

Yakult

Was googling Yakult and found this (for us) fantastic blog Singapore Adventure: The adventures of two American expats in Singapore, loving it, hating it, and escaping it every chance they get.

So many of the posts makes me laugh, would phone the couple right away if they were still here, but they went back home to sweet Colorado in 2007 (learned their lesson about leaving Colorado, right Jay & Becky?).

Yakult is a Japanese probiotic (very sugary) drink and you see the small bottles everywhere.

Rome - Denmark

Anyone? Please, no more waiting game. Jens has to get home in time for the new baby.

30. marts
Min Kære søMand, sejler til Indien i morgen for at holde styr på skibsmotoren. 8 dage på æ haw, så må vi ikke håbe baby melder sin ankomst de næste 8-10 dage....

12. april
11 dage til termin... mon min mand når hjem... Pt er han på et skib mellem Indien (hvor han mod forventning ikke kunne komme af) og Sri Lanka...

17. april
Så er min mand (igen) strandet i Sri Lanka.... denne gang pga lavesky og lukket luftrum i Europa...Sku ellers ha været hjemme søndag til formiddagskaffe og jødekage...(5 dage til termin)...

19. april
TRAGISK KOMISK.... Nu er min mand dog nået til Rom :-) men ka ikke komme videre derfra. Ingen fly, SURPRICE... Alle biler udlejet, i 4 dg er alle toge booket (det han skulle ha været med, gik i stykker), nogle lastbiler og andre private muligheder undersøgt, men han har dog en plads på en bus, som lander i DK tors/terminsdagen :-)

More new fruits

This one (rose apple) all four of us liked and Lauge was quick to snap a photo of the last one. Apple and grape all in one.

Soursop was unpleasant in both texture and taste. Guava (and the prune powder) none of us enjoyed. Custard apple was fine taste, but a hassle to eat with all those seeds. Dragon fruit we find boring, both the white and the red, though must say the red color is impressive (and color everything). Pomelo boring as well.

I really come to like papaya, can take so much lime juice, yummy. And to juice it is good. In the beginning I found it either tasted nothing or if unlucky then this weird taste of soap. Maybe the season is better now.

Run run run

And getting nowhere. Same same on the other machines in the Gymnasium of our Condo. Never thought I would enjoy stamping while watching television (or just looking out over the pool), but I actually do. Most of all I like the convenience.

Summertime

No Spring forward, Fall back in Singapore. Light from 7am-7pm, dark from 7pm-7am, all year round. So close to Equator (100-200km north) I did not expect to see a difference in the angle of the Sun. But we can easily on how lit our balcony get.

Seasons of food

I like seasons and I thought that the change in weather made the difference in food liking for me, but I have been half a year in 30 degrees (and away from all x-mas and winter food) and I´m craving gullash, herrings, potatoes with brown gravy, spiced carrot cake, ...

Hibiscus

West Coast Park is full of blooming hibiscus at the moment. Pink, white, peach, ... I did not know they exist in so many colors and we can watch them all the way from where we enter the park to the playground at the other end.

Acupuncture

Wonder if I shall try Wee Meng Acupuncture Clinic.

Fish month

In Lauge´s Kindergarten they have a monthly theme/book. February and March was Friendship, April is Fish. Today they were examining a dead fish, does fish have a tongue, does fish have teeth, how does fish feel, ...
A bunch of the rules in Kindergarten are different from what we would meet in a Denmark, the same are the schedule. Quite often I have a why on my tongue, but at least as many times I have a hey this is cool.

Danish forest

I get newsletters from Skoven i Skolen (forest in the school), so many good ideas for activities. How to bottle sap from birch. How to use several weeds for cooking.

Yellow bricks

Saw an advertisement the other day for student counselling at National University of Singapore, I bet the University on the front page is University of Aarhus with an Asian student photoshoped in.

Picture uploaded April 15th:

The Mighty Mughals

Had a great day at the Asian Civilisations Museum learning about Mogulriket (I´m still a fan of the norwegian wikipedia). Lauge tried to shoot with bow and arrow, he got a henna tattoo, I got to feel the skin of an Albino Python, we made a paper Taj Mahal and a bracelet. And we got to see a bit of the great exhibitions they have. Sure in for their next festival.

Where is home

I got to the point where I often recognize people. At the busstop, when grocery shopping, walking in the park and especially on the way to the kindergarten. So nice with all these smiles and small chats, such a nice feeling of home.

Come home

Feel like staying up all the way till Janus is here, so happy he is heading east now. He will soon jump 15 hours, so no more this weird thing about being on different days. 19 days, it is the longest time away from each other since having kids. Better go to bed, it is past midnight and Janus probably not even on the first flight yet and will at the earliest be here 25 hours from now.

The Gruffalo

I'm so in the UK when thinking of the The Gruffalo.

A mouse took a stroll
through the deep dark wood.
A fox saw the mouse
and the mouse looked good.

And now we bought tickets for the performance by Tall Stories. I'm looking forward to take Lauge there.
And both Lauge and Ulf to The Magic Garden.

Mashed banana

Really get that chocolate cake (whatever style) flying.
Another spongy maker is leftover rice in the bread.

A smell of

Someones birthday around here? This morning there was heavy cooking with dried fish and now durian is all over us.
And Lauge is having a stomach bug. Maybe I should put blue tack in my nose.

Happy Pool Life

A jump in the pool and all family members are full of smiles. Simple and so so good. Water water water give me more.

Don’t wash your hair

On new years day?!
The whole city is simmering, decorations everywhere. Went to Chinatown yesterday and got a feeling of the real deal. Bought hong-bao, tangerines and a new set of clothes for the boys (in the wrong color, but how should I know).

Hawaiian Halal

Hmmm something is wrong here. We are invited to pot luck on Wednesday and I put our name on Hawaiian Pizza (had hoped I could do with fruit salad or likely), but how does the ham fit with Please ensure that the food is halal. I should have taken the Vegetarian Pizza.

Year of the Tiger

• 10 days before: Sweeping of the grounds
• February 14, 2010 (Year 4707 in the Chinese Calendar) is the first day of the Chinese new year.
• As CNY falls on Sunday and Monday, the next day Tuesday 16 February 2010 will be a public holiday.
• 15th Day of the New Year: Lantern Festival.
  

All Highlights of Singapore’s Chinese New Year Celebrations in 2010

Should I go now

Lotte cites Mark Twain today: Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.

Boulder

Boulder, Dear Boulder, when will I see you again. Janus will in March and I want to get the intense feeling of the mountains, meet up with the old gang, just be there. Flight prices and schedules are crap and it is just not the right time now, but how will it feel when Janus is there and I'm not, on our so special place in the whole wide world.

Twinkle

We have this cool pool, great fun during the day splashing with the kids. Good feeling in the evening swimming especially on the back looking directly at a dark sky with twinkling stars.

Mosquitoes

Whenever reading a Health chapter in one of our travel books I feel like staying at home, closing my windows and just sit very still... Mosquitoes freaks me out, ones again reading on malaria in Southeast Asia. Luckily all the islands of Malaysia seems fine, so back to the more fun part, finding islands we want to see.

Teacher Lydia

How lucky can we be. The teacher we liked so much when we visited LSH @ The Treehouse has relocated to LSH @ Kent Vale and and and Lauge got her - and he dance when she plays the guitar.

Lauge on his way home after first day of Kindergarten.

Perfect timing

Just before x-mas Lauge started talking about he was ready for Kindergarten and today the spot came at Little Skool House at NUS Kent Vale, vuhuuj.

Monkey

Twice this week we have been chased off the playground of a little nuisance that really likes to show his teeth and to say grrrr. He is amazingly fast and annoying. Feel quite vulnerable with two kids. Gotta get a huge sticks and a pepper spray or ??

Know 10 trees

in Singapore: www.nparks.gov.sg/know10trees

Why no swings

In playgrounds or elsewhere in Singapore? Banned?

Update January 20th:
Found swings. Playground at Lauge´s Kindergarten.

Longan

The longan ("dragon eyes") is so named because its fruit, when it is shelled, resembles an eyeball (the black seed shows through the translucent flesh like a pupil/iris). The seed is small, round and hard, and of an enamel-like, lacquered black. [1]

One old, one new

My Ergo carrier... too worn, have had a hard time admitting it would not last till Ulf is out of it. It have a bit of Colorado in it, reminds me of all those Mondays on Hogback.
Ulf likes the new one as much as the old one - and I like that it is not torn all over.