Singapore 2

I guess our difficulties with the heat and humidity aren't getting much sympathy in Calgary with the snow showing up. Trick or Treaters are going to all look like Eskimos.

Today we started the day off at 6AM (Jess's jetlag is getting one hour better every day) with a tour of the grounds. We were rewarded by spotting two monitor lizards. There's a creature that looks best from a distance. The lizards ran off and hid so I didn't have to show my bravery (or lack thereof) in front of the 8 yr old. During the day we went to a very large aviary after the cab driver talked us out of going to the zoo during the heat of the day. The adjacent reptile world was closed except for a small size tank that featured prawn fishing. We passed on that. Then home for the pool. A passing thunderstorm cleared the pool a couple of hours later but also cooled things off. In the evening we went to the island's musical fountain. A lot of effort went into the show and a very large crowd seemed to like it. A bit tame for us. Blame TV.

Carolin's doing well. Yesterday she had too much sun but today seems fine. The balance is still a problem but she makes it through the day as well as any of us. We'll be home for the weekend.

Singapore 1

On the 25th we climbed on board Air Canada and zipped down to LA to connect onto Singapore. It didn't seem like a 'zip' until thought of in retrospect following some of the other flights we have made. In LA we overnighted at an airport hotel and were able to catch up with Dad and Mona at brunch. They dropped us at LAX departures at noon. At check in we were advised of the delay that would not see our plane off the ground until 5:30 PM. We were able to lounge in the fancy business class area because of Carolin's first class ticket so killing time was a matter of pacing yourself with the free pop and chips.

Once on board the flight (10 hrs 50 minutes) we settled in with two meals, 50 channels of seat-back TV and a spare seat between Jess and I. Carolin had to suffer in first class where the new seats can be made into flat beds with down comforters. In peasant class, Jess and I were happy when the people didn't put their seats back so far we had to lie down to see the TVs. All of us made it to our stopover in Tokyo at the same time.

There we were kicked off the plane so it could be cleaned and reloaded. No spare seat this time and Jess amused herself with video games loaded on the plane's TV. I worked on the crick in my neck and was quite successful. 6 hrs from Tokyo to Singpore. We arrived about 4 AM local time and took a taxi to our hotel. Bed looked good.

The next day (Saturday due to the international date line) we got caught up on all the new developments on the island and Jess found a new good friend from Australia. They were just getting back home after touring Italy and the Med. In the afternoon we got to see Singapore's Halloween up close. The kids were given plastic bags and toilet paper to make costumes (tough job), then they were judged by the collection of folks around the pool. Then they "shot the ghost". This meant firing water balloons at some poor guy in a canoe in the pool. There was a lot of noise but not a lot of burst balloons. Kids turn out to be pretty bad shots.

We were also caught in the rain on the top of a double decker bus, visited an aquarium where we held a big snake (not sure of the connection there), travelled up to Mount Faber on a gondola that goes through a building, and saw a lot of weddings at the resort. The only real wildlife was two monkeys climbing the balconies and many oddly coloured birds including the 'Canada Goose Chicken", or at least that's what Jess named it when we found it making a lot of noise in a tree.

Weather is hot and muggy with a lot of haze from either forest fires in Indonesia or heat-haze. The airconditioner is getting a workout although Carolin's claiming frost bite. Jet lag went fine with Jess having trouble sleeping at 4 AM twice but that's all. More later.

Sandy

2 weeks have gone by...

...but nothing really new that is worth writing about. I am able to spend the day by myself now. I can make it up and down the stairs a few times a day. However, I am certainly tired by 8 pm though. I still have to be careful that I don't get too far down that I can't get up (eg. sitting on the floor). Sitting in a chair is about as far as I go when I am alone otherwise I am afraid that I will get stuck.

We had a nice Thanksgiving. My dad and Sandy's daughter both came from Edmonton. Ate lots, played some games and had a nice weekend. I even found some time for a nap.

Yesterday I asked the doctor if I could stop taking the steriods and he said yes. So today is my first steriod free day. I hope all this weight comes off quickly. 2 weeks as of today we leave for Singapore. It would be so great to be looking better and feeling better.

So I still weeble and wooble but I am certainly stronger than before.

Jessica is home from school, so time to say goodbye.

Love to you all.

Carolin