The Weekender: Formula 1

Hey guys! Hope everyone is doing well and gearing up for fall. It is fall back in the States right? My only taste of the changing seasons comes from the 12hr delayed football games we get a glimpse of on the weekends. 

The highlight of our weekend here was checking out the Singapore GP Formula 1 race. If you recall, we attended the event last year and were keen to check it out again. There are only a few times a year when Singapore really puts on a show and everyone comes out to have a good time. A quick recap below: 

Being the F1 neophytes we are, we opted for the walk about tickets - meaning we just strolled the area with friends and watched the race from a variety of viewing platforms enjoying the food, beverage and entertainment. We actually attended the preliminary event on Saturday so it wasn't as completely nuts as the Sunday night finals. 

Mike D, super fan :-P

Gearing up for Maroon 5 in the Padang (I may or may not have become a born-again Adam Levine fan by the end of the night). 

Just like animals, animals, like animals-maaaaaaals. PS - it. was. so. hot. that. night. Sweaty Adam. 

Another fun year at the races. 

Sunday afternoon was spent brunching at Open Farm Community - an amazing new farm to table concept in Singapore - and furniture shopping in nearby Dempsey. We had a very productive, very old married couple afternoon. 

I highly recommend checking out OFC. Good food, good atmosphere. YUM.  

I only include this random photo because I thought it was hilarious. Never in my life have I seen a scarecrow construction worker. 

That's all for the weekend folks!

Additionally, here are a couple quick life updates to share: 

1. We are moving apartments next week. Our lease is coming to an end (it's been 2 years already!) and we had the opportunity to sub-lease from some friends of ours who are relocating back to the States. We have been obsessed with the building for as long as we can remember so we are totally stoked. The return of the fratio!

2. We went to the doctor this week to find out the gender of Baby Duvall but he/she was not in the mood to cooperate. Either way, the baby is healthy, growing, moving around like crazy and has some seriously long legs :) The wait continues... 

3. I am about a decade late to the party, but I am in deep to One Tree Hill. If anyone wants to talk about the Season 2 Haley/Nathan saga, please email me. 

 Okay, take care y'all. Love and miss. 

XO,

CD

Read More »

The Weekender

Howdy all! Checking in with a quick recap of our weekend. We didn't do anything particularly exciting, but I promised my family I would keep up with the recaps of regular life here in Singapore :)

We kicked off the weekend with a stroll around the Arab quarter and a leisurely dinner at The Beast, Singapore's resident Southern cuisine establishment. Talk about a strange anomaly. 

This past weekend was actually a long weekend due to polling day on Friday, but we both worked from home all day. In Singapore, polling day is a holiday and it's absolutely mandatory for all citizens to vote. The only exceptions are something like if you are in jail or giving birth. 

The US should really give everyone the day off of work to vote, or at least if you can prove you voted. Can you imagine all the amazing election parties?! How do we make this happen?

At The Beast you will find a full bourbon bar, chicken and waffles and live music - a recipe for a good ole' fried, American time. 

Saturday afternoon Michael was off to a basketball game while I was off tasting a new local cafe for my writing gig - rough life I know.  

In local news, we have been battling some serious haze the last few days. The PSI level has reached 250, which is pretty darn bad. We are lucky here in Singapore to typically not have to worry about air pollution, but about this time every year 'the haze' rolls in from neighboring Indonesia due to crop burning, making for a not-so-pleasant couple of weeks.  

Cheesy baby bump mirror pic. 16 weeks today :)

Sunday the full day was spent brunching and watching rugby with some mates and later relaxing at home with a pizza and some Homeland. (Don't worry we haven't converted to rugby fans, we still spent all Sunday morning, beginning in the early hours, watching Saturday night college football). 

All in all it was a fun, social, busy weekend. Now, if only the haze would get better instead of worse, I can exercise outside and open the doors and windows again. 

This can't be good for you... 

Cheers to a great week everyone. Michael and I both have busy weeks coming up, but we are looking forward to checking out Formula 1 this coming weekend. It should be a good time!

XO,

CD

Read More »

Oh Baby!

Hey loyal LGE followers, I wanted to share some exciting news out of Asia... 

...we're having a baby!

Michael and I, and our families, are beyond thrilled. We can't wait to begin this new chapter in our little lives. It's really starting to settle in with each passing day. We don't know what parenthood will bring, but we know that we are ecstatic for the adventure to begin. 

Answers to some burning FAQ's you may have:

• The baby will be born here in Singapore! Crazy, I know. 

• Our doctor and the healthcare system here is amazing, really world class. It seems like I have an appointment every other week, so we have gotten to see the baby a lot, which is really fun :)

• We are most definitely finding out the gender ASAP. Hopefully in about a month. My current feeling and googling of old wives tales is strongly leaning towards girl at the moment. 

• Our baby will be a regular, United States citizen. I am not entirely sure if duel-citizenship is even an option. If so, there is not a lot of upside as far as we can tell - it requires a lot of paper work, mandatory armed services if it's a boy, and only recognized until the ago of 21. God bless America, y'all. 

• After doing some research online, it appears that our child, born aboard, is in fact eligible to run for President one day. It's funny how many people have asked about this ;)

• We are still planning on traveling home for the holidays! So far the doctor has given us the a-okay. We will be back in the states from December 15th - 31st and can't wait to see everyone. 

• The due date is the end of February 2016. Leap year to be exact!

• Our future: right now we are earmarking a move back to the States at the end of next summer - which will be about the 3 year mark in Singapore - our plan all along. We are unsure where we will land once back, that mostly depends on Michael's work. Anywhere in the US is a whole lot closer than Singapore! We are thrilled at the thought of living closer to our friends and family, especially with our newest addition. 

• Everyone is very, very excited and (finally) feeling great :)

Lots of love! 

XO,

MD, CD & BD (Baby D) 

:)

Read More »

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Howdy guys! Sorry for the serious delay on the Siem Reap recap. I just started my internship writing for Seth Lui (check out my work here and also on Yahoo News Singapore) and I have been extra busy eating my way around Bangkok the last few days. 

Getting back to it... 

During my parents recent trip out to Asia, the four of us were thrilled to take a short side trip to Siem Reap. Michael and I haven't had the chance to travel to Cambodia yet, so we were extra excited to check out a location with my parents none of us had ever been. A recap below:

Our three days in Cambodia, for the most part, were spent touring the city and ancient temples with our amazing tour guide Sun Same. I highly, highly recommend giving him a call if you ever find yourself in Siem Reap. Another helpful tip - during our trip we stayed at the most beautiful, charming hotel in the perfect centralized location - The Belmond d'Angkor. Check it out fo-sho. 

Sunscreen, check. Bug spray, check. Let's do this Siem Reap! 

Quick roadside breakfast anyone? 

One of the many stops on our tour was to Tonle Sap Lake - the largest lake in SE Asia - to check out the floating fishing villages. The ride out there is not for the faint of heart. It's about a 40min drive on this extremely unforgiving "road" that takes you out to the middle of nowhere in the extreme heat.

Skinny cows everywhere. 

Once we got there we really in the thick of it. This is not your standard tourist trap, this was the real deal. 

Fishermen, nets and boats at every turn. 

Sun found us an eager boat captain and we were off {but first...}.

The floating villages were truely amazing to see up close. It's incredible how many people live on and support themselves from the river with truly so little. I have so many photos of little kids playing in the water and fishermen fully submerged in the dark, murky waters tending to their nets, however, nearly everyone was naked so I couldn't find a good pic to use :)

Cheese! 

The excursion has mixed reviews online, but if you are into photography and want a truly eye-opening and local Cambodian experience, I recommend checking it out. Just make sure you bring plenty of water and don't have a fear of dirty water and/or rickety old boats. 

After a full day of popping all over Siem Reap, we were early to bed and early to rise in order to make it to Angkor Wat to catch the sunrise - a must see event. Our guide Sun was also a supreme photographer. Do you know how hard it is to get a shot with no one else in it? 

Angkor Wat on the internet... 

...Angkor Wat in real life (and this is only the 5:00am crowd).

Angkor Wat was build in the 12th century and is now a world famous UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to my internet research, it was also just named the the world's best tourist attraction by Lonely Planet. Hey-yo! 

The place is massive and as impressive as I imagined it would be. I highly suggest touring the site early in the day and with a proper guide because there is so much history to learn and the huge crowds can be unbearable. There is a story and reason behind every tiny detail. 

Dwahhh... 

Group shot. 

After breakfast and a power nap back at the hotel (wake up call is 4:30am to catch the sunrise) we headed off to Ta Prohm Temple aka the Thomb Raider temple. People get really excited knowing Angelina Jolie road a motorcycle through here.  

The temple has been nearly entirely overtaken by the forces of nature. They are trying desperately to preserve it, but the fact that it is so overgrown is a major part of its appeal. Seeing it firsthand, it's hard to know just how much longer it will last. 

Our last stop on our tour of temples (fun fact: there are actually more than 1000! temples in Siem Reap) was to Bayon - my personal favorite of the three we visited.  

I. am. so. sweaty. (Covered knees and shoulders are required, although you sadly see far too many people breaking that, and many other rules).   

The temple is comprised of hundreds of faces, each of them different. 

Bayon lies at the center of what was once the most well known and last capital of the Khmer Empire. Each of the four walls is less than two miles long creating a walled, 'Great City'. Angkor Thom was also once home to over a million people. How, I have no idea. 

While we weren't temple hopping, we spent plenty of time eating, drinking and shopping in town on the famed Pub Street. (Not pictured: we had the best meal at Cuisine Wat Demnak - the food is uniquely assembled, sourced from all local ingredients and set in the cutest tucked away wooden house).  

Humble brag: my bargaining skills have gone from non-existent to almost passable in the last couple of years. 

Overall, the four of us had the best time in Siem Reap. It was truly an amazing, historic city, home to some of the most kind and humble people I've ever met. I feel so lucky to have shared this memorable experience with my loving family and husband. 

Thanks again mom and dad for making the looooong journey out to Asia and helping us create so many amazing, unique memories. Definitely a trip for the ages. 

I can't believe this time was here and gone so fast. It already feels like so long ago :( I wish these special times and experiences with our family lasted longer. Really feeling the love on this one... Until our next adventure... 

XO,

CD 

Read More »