My other little treehugger, my niece Casey. She turned 7 when this photo was taken. Creative and fearless.....I hear that I am expected to show her rainforests of the world. We'll see if we can't nurture that tree hugging just a little further!  

Kyle, my Nephew....what a wonderful little treehugger! This photo was from January so I am sure he's a foot taller and a hunderd IQ points smarter. And I am not just saying that because I am his Aunt! 

Two of my favorite people in Singapore are Rassmus and Emile, young Danish sons of our friends Jeppe and Mette, a coworker and his wife. Matt and I babysat them one evening and almost broke Emile's front tooth....well, we didn't, but let's say there was a household accident resulting in a really fat lip and a bruised gum. Amazingly, the Parents weren't hysterical, and actually still talk to us. This weekend we had a company cookout on the rooftop, and fortunately, there was no ill will from the boys. They are a lot of fun to play with, and fantastic future UN representatives. They are multilingual, and in 7 years of their lives together have been in 10 countries. Pretty amazing. But then again, they're European, so that is like describing a 7 year old in the states as having visited 10 states. Though even still I bet there aren't that many kids who can boast likewise. Now I must post Casey and Kyle...

Orchid Bikes. These trishaw type frames were decorated with beautiful material orchids. I don't know why or what for, but they were a pretty sight to cycle by. 

Sunday bike ride. Today I went for a ride without a map. This is not a good thing because typically to get to East Coast Park I need to consult a map at least three times. It is safet to assume then that I did not get to East Coast Park today. It should be easy enough...it is an island, and if you go east, you should end up at the east coast, where there is a park. The problem for me is getting there from here. I tend to turn and meander and wander down different streets to take a look at things. East has long lost its meaning to me, and I ride toward water instead. In this case it took me from the marina to the Esplanade Theaters, locally known as the Durians.

This is not a good shot of the building but it is a very unique concert and cultural performance center, and the spiky spiny architecture resembles that locally notorious fruit, the Durian. It is shaped kind of like a pineapple...in that it is spiky, and about that size, and the fruit is yellow. Id differs from pineapple in that it smells like shit....literally, there is no nice way to describe it. The fruit is illegal to carry onto buses or the subway and I think cabs as well, so if you buy it at the market you should be ready to walk home. The fruit is custardy in texture, and if you can get past the smell, it is actually kind of nice. I imagine the first person to have ever tried it was really hungry. At any rate, the concert halls are shaped like a pair of Durians on the edge of the Singapore River, and this was right about the time I knew exactly where I was and how far I had strayed from my original destination.

It's a rainy Sunday afternoon. Here's a shot from the apartment window. Yep, I'm right above the street. Fortunately, the necessary continuous drone of air conditioning drowns out the traffic sounds. Turn off the air conditioning while away for a day, and the scent of mildew can knock you down upon your return. This must have strenghtened allergies/sinuses, because I've had no trouble at all with that, oddly enough. 

Because of the shoppers along Orchard Road, street performances are not in short supply. I wonder if they have to get a permit! This one was different in that the performer looked to be about 4 years old. His dad would play music on a boom box and the boy would drum along, hi hat, bass beat, rhythm, the whole deal. 

These throngs of people are not going to a big event or festival. They are just Saturday afternoon shoppers along Singapore's biggest shopping boulevard, Orchard Road.  

Post bike ride grime. Of course it doesn't look nearly as bad in the photo as it did in real life....normally I have no problem with getting a little dirty. Problem was that the mud we went through would have made sewage smell good. 

A beautiful site...a man in the kitchen in a skirt! 

This young girl was squatting in typical Asian fasion along the side of the bike path. Sometimes she would have her chin resting in her hand, looking as though she were contemplating the universe.

A more detailed snapshot of the top of the Hindu temple.  

Here is a shot of a beautifully intricate Hindu temple near the apartment. The doors are rarely closed on the building, but they were here, maybe just for this photo. 

Along East Coast Park, there are lots of signs, about what is and isn't advised to do. There were other more detailed signs warning people that the beach could be dangerous during lightning storms, and that high winds can bring coconuts down on heads.

The Chinese meal continued....here you can see the fish entree that Soren got. I tend to prefer eating fish after they have been cleaned and filleted, but this wastes precious eating time in a hungry Chinese kitchen!