Mystery fruit revealed, Settling in

Well, I know you all have been wondering what the mystery fruit I posted was.  I could tell by the overwhelming response.  (really, only 1 person responded - LOL!)  At first I thought it was a Longan and had posted that and even had some good facts about Longans, but alas, it was not. It took me a while to figure it out, but the mystery fruit is a:

Langsat Fruit

http://www.fruitipedia.com/langsat%20Lansium%20domesticum.htm

With my research i discovered Fruitipedia!  Great thing to have around here.  Check out the link for more information than you ever thought you might want!


Unfortunately, I have no new fruit this week.  I have become a bit less adventurous these past few weeks.  I have noticed that my weeks focus either on creating my social network or exploring our new city.  This past week we have focused on settling in and make new friends.  


So, we have finally moved all of our stuff into the house and we think we have found a place for everything.  One thing that is very important with living in a small space is that everything must have a home.  I have even managed to organize my craft room.  I still have a few things that need a "better" home, but all in all it is coming along.  I can't wait to start some projects and have already started one for E's birthday party which is coming up at the end of the month.  We have decided to make it a Halloween party since we weren't sure if anyone celebrated Halloween here.  Can't wait to show you all of the fun goodies that we are planning for that.  Oh yeah, big news, I bought a new sewing machine.  Yes, I broke down and did it.  I had been in withdrawls and saw one for sale and bit the bullet.  Funny, I had a machine for years back in the states and didn't use it half as often as I had planned.  Then when I didn't have one, all I could think about were the projects that I couldn't do without one. Interestingly, I have met more people here who sew than I had ever met in Charlotte.  Some are even experts at sewing and creating.  Humm, is that a sign?  Maybe I will finally have the time and the creativity to get going on some things!


So besides getting our home in order we have been exploring the East Coast of Singapore.  The beach has been great and we have tried out several of the restaurants that are within biking distance.  That makes living on this side of Singapore worth it.  E has become quite proficient at riding her big girl bike and has amazed both my hubby and I.  On longer distances we still use the trail-a-bike so that she doesn't get too tired.


This past week was full of lots of fun social activities.  We had playdates with friends and I had some of the neighbor ladies over for tea, coffee and snacks.  We are so fortunate to have met the people that we have.  The ladies and I had a lovely time.  When a group of expats get together there are a lot of things to be discussed.  Where to shop, what to look for where, how to get around, and many other things.  Not to mention getting to know one another.  Saturday night we were invited to cocktails at a neighbors home.  Our first real adult social outing.  What a great time!  E went with us and entertained everyone with her drawings.  Later she fell asleep on the couch and the hubby and I ended up staying out way to late!  We had a great time and enjoyed the company very much.  


The one topic of conversation this week was about how different countries use different words in different ways.  For example, did you know that only the US has jelly?  Australians and Scots don't have jelly and for them jelly is like our jello in the US.  So funny!  They couldn't figure out why we would put jello on our bread.   Another was the use of the word "pants".  I had mentioned wearing pants to my Scottish friend and she got this big smile on her face.  Pants in the Scot culture are the same as underwear here in the US.  Guess I will have to be more specific next time.  So, why is it that we don't use the word trouser in the US?  How is it that different countries have different meanings for the same word.  


We ended the weekend with a visit from our friends from Australia.  An old friend and his family came to Singapore for holiday.  We got to spend the day with them Sunday and enjoyed showing them the East Coast as well as the Marina Bay area.  They probably ended up seeing more of Singapore in the 6 days they were here than we have seen in the 8 weeks that we have been here.  Oh well, we still have 3 years!

So this week is another big week for us.  E is out of school on term break and we have been enjoying late mornings and a more relaxed schedule.  Thursday my Mother-in-law comes for 2 weeks.  We are all very excited to have her visit!  This coming weekend we head to Bintan for a weekend at the beach and then the following weekend the hubby and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, hopefully in Bali.


So, to another great week and looking forward to more.  BTW, we booked our trip back to the US for December.  Another thing to look forward to!