Happy Birthday, Merlion!

The symbol of Singapore is the Merlion (half mermaid, half lion), which is displayed on everything from national banners to cookie boxes.  As we were walking down Orchard Road one weekend, we noticed a statue celebrating the creation of the Merlion.  (No, the man is not real.)

Then we walked a bit further and realized that it was the Merlion's 40th birthday!

We're not the only ones getting older these days.

Fighting Fire in Singapore

We decided to be tourists today and visit the Civil Defence (British spelling) Heritage Gallery, which is a great hands-on museum with displays and information about the history of fire fighters in Singapore.  We had so much fun answering a simulated emergency phone call, climbing on an old fire truck, and putting out the flames of a virtual fire that we forgot to take some pictures. The only evidence we have of the day is this photo:

This is the closest Tim will ever get to becoming a real fire fighter.

Lost in Translation?

There is a video store near our condo and one day as we walked by it, we noticed an advertisement for a newly released movie:

After doing a little research, we learned that the "tt"s are really "ff"s.

The Istana (President's Palace)

The President of Singapore has a residence/palace very close to our school and on special occasions it is open to the public.  However, the closest we ever got to the actual residence was just in front of the palace gates.

Then, a week after National Day (similar to Fourth of July in America), the palace was open to visitors again, and this time we got in!

We were very pleased to pay the $1 entry fee.

The grounds were huge and the palace was impressive.

As we were walking around, we noticed a crowd of people gathering.  We went over to get a closer look and as we peeked through the crowd, we saw him: The President of Singapore, Mr. Tony Tan.

The President and his wife were enjoying the festivities of the day along with us common folk!

They even had their own nifty little golf cart to get them around the expansive palace grounds.

It was a great day at the Istana, and I even made a new friend as I exited the palace gates!

Zoo (with Meal)

We've been wanting to visit the Singapore Zoo because it has an open concept, which means that some of the animals walk, fly, or climb all around without being caged.

Here are the orangutan enjoying some sugar cane while we dine next to them.  If my brother was here with me, he would have said that the baby orangutan (far background) looks like me when I was little.

It's feeding time for the giraffes.  And yes, they do have a long, purple tongue.

This jaguar is waiting for its breakfast.

Of course, no trip to the zoo is complete without participating in a show.
Here, I race against an orangutan to shuck a coconut.

With more experience, bigger teeth, and the strength
of  5 grown men, the orangutan wins.

At an exhibit called the Fragile Forest, we were face to face with this fruit bat.

This is a beautiful white tiger, whose relatives come from India.

We had a great day monkeying around at the zoo!

Mashed Potatoes at 7-11?

After a month and a half of visiting friends and family in America, we are back in Singapore adjusting to the time difference.  As we answered a myriad of questions about life in Singapore, one question my sister asked struck me as most memorable: "On Jimmy Kimmel, he said Singapore has self-serve mashed potato machines at the 7-11.  Do they?"  My answer to that silly question was, of course, "No."

However, when we walked past a 7-11 the other day, I decided to go inside just to be sure.  Imagine my shock when I actually saw the machine that I had so flippantly rebuked.

I am not really dispensing mashed potatoes, just demonstrating the serving process. 

No, I did not try the mashed potatoes.  I have eaten snail, spider, fish cheek, stingray, snake wine, and lamb head, but even I have limits on what I'll eat!

Foodie Madness in Southern California

We spent a great vacation at home in southern California visiting with loved ones and eating lots of delicious food!  Please visit one, or all, of these restaurants so that they will be there when we visit next summer.  You will not be disappointed.

Grascio's

131 S. Kraemer Blvd

Brea, CA 92821

(714) 990-1044

Franson

Green2Go

2435 Imperial Hwy

Brea, CA 92821

714-726-3096

www.livegreen20go.com

Chili Chutney

(Afghan)

25262 Jeronimo Road

Lake Forest, CA 92630

Ichiban

1015 E. Imperial Hwy

Brea, CA 92821

714-529-6157

Shehnai Cuisine of India

705 E. Birch Street

Brea, CA 92821

(714) 990-8989

Fukada, Inc.

8683 Irvine Center Drive

Irvine, CA 92618

949-341-0111

Mad Wolf Mongolian BBQ

4110 N. Harbor Blvd.

Fullerton, CA 92835

714-879-6651

Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen

1590 S. Disneyland Drive

714-776-5200

Philippe's The Original

1001 N. Alameda St.

Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 628-3781

Miguel's

26592 Towne Center Drive

Foothill Ranch, CA 92610

Inka Mama

26676 Portola Pkwy #B

Foothill Ranch, CA 92610

(949) 951-6262

Sergio's Tacos

308 S. Vail Avenue

Montebello, CA 90640

(323) 888-9159

Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour

210 S. Brea Blvd.

(714) 9904386

Taps Fish House & Brewery

101 E. Imperial Hwy

Brea, CA 92821

(714) 257-0101

Mother's Market

413 S. Associated Road

Brea, CA 92821

(714) 990-6667

El Gallo Bakery

4546 E. Cesar Chavez Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90022

(323) 263-5528

Minato Sushi

23505 El Toro Road

Lake Forest, CA 92630

(949) 472-4547

Sundried Tomato

San Clemente, CA

(949) 388-5757

The Cliff Restaurant

577 South Coast Highway

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

(949) 494-1956

Gelato Paradiso

448 South Coast Highway

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

(949) 464-9255

Mozambique

1740 South Coast Highway

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

(949) 715-7777

Adelita's

340 East La Habra Blvd.

La Habra, CA 90631

(562) 694-2926

China Station

303 North Harbor Boulevard

La Habra, CA 90631

(562) 690-4205

Mad Wolf Mongolian BBQ

4110 N. Harbor Blvd

Fullerton, CA 92835

(714) 879-6651

The Melting Pot

375 Birch Street #1

Brea, CA 92821

The Diner on Main

201 W. Main Street

Alhambra, CA 91801

(626) 281-3488

King Torta

4521 Valley Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90032

(323) 222-7006

My friend Jenny informed me that I left out two important eateries:

Fosselman's Ice Cream Company
1824 W. Main Street
Alhambra, CA
(626) 282-6533

Oak Tree Inn
1315 Fair Oaks Ave.
South Pasadena, CA