Jens was in the kitchen the other day when Kaelin departed from watching her movie in the living room to tell him a very important message…

Kaelin: Um, Daddo.
Jens: Yes, Kaelin?
Kaelin: Daddo, I’m sorry to tell you this.  But you smell.
Jens: I do?
Kaelin: (holding her nose and making a dreadful face)  Yes.  You smell like dirty diapers.
Jens: I do?  Um…sorry?

Jens spent some time pondering the logistics of an odor that a) was unbeknownst to him, and b) had apparently traversed two rooms with enough strength to disturb her movie-watching pleasure.  He soon remembered that he had walked behind Kaelin a few minutes ago, while taking a large bag of trash (including a good supply of dirty diapers) outside to the trash bin.  Since she wasn’t watching him, she didn’t see the trash bag, and thought he personally was the one responsible for the aromatic breeze she experienced.

On our second day, we did the Tree Top Walk.  We walked through a nature preserve to get there, which had a remarkable number of loud insects but no birds.  This little guy darted across my path and just about scared me to death:

Here are Rich and Jens on the trail that leads up to the bridge:

It was a long walk, but the view from the top was worth it.

Can you see the monkey in the tree top?  We had fun watching them jump from tree to tree below us.

The way down was just as long:

But we got to see some monkeys up close:

They look all cute and friendly, don’t they?  Watch out – if they think you have food they’ll attack you.

Singapore also has some monster ants.  It’s sort of distrubing to see an ant that’s easily an inch long.  I didn’t get any pictures of those, but if you Google “Camponotus gigas” you’ll see what I’m talking about.

And here’s us at the clubhouse, where we parked to visit the Tree Top Walk.

Like every other major city, Singapore has parts of town that are dominated by people of other countries and cultures.  One such area we visited was Little India.  Our main stop in Little India, besides getting some tea, was a place called Mustafa’s.

Mustafa, apparently, imports everything in the entire world.  We walked through room after room of aisle after aisle, piled from floor to ceiling with STUFF.  There are 6 levels, spread over 2 connected buildings.  You can find jewelry, electronics, textiles, any over-the-counter or toiletry item of your desire, and pretty much anything else except maybe live animals.  And I don’t know for sure that they don’t have those – I just didn’t see any. 

It’s like walking through a commercial labyrinth.  The aisles are narrow and the shelves are stocked to capacity from floor to ceiling.  You just have to hope you’re headed in the right direction because you certainly can’t see your way out.

Here is a small portion of the jewelry section.  And I do mean small portion – I think the gold jewelry takes up an entire floor.

Mustafa Centre is also one of the few places in Singapore that’s open 24/7.

We learned last night that when she was “little,” Kaelin had a teacher named Mrs. Bennett.  But then Mrs. Bennett retired “because she had to go die.”  And she died of the same thing Uncle Jackson* died of: Allergies.

*Michael Jackson

Today Koren got his first haircut.  I’ve never taken my kids to an actual hair salon before, so this was a new experience for all of us. 

I didn’t get any pictures during the procedure because Koren decided he was not too keen on having some stranger mess with his head, so he spent the entire time in my lap fighting the stylist with the gusto of a Templar.  But in the end, we walked away with a token lock of hair, “First Haircut Certificate” and some prizes for the kids.

Before:

After:

And of course, when we walked into the Fun!  Haircut!  Place!  Kaelin decided she had to have hers done too:

That was fine with me, because it kept her occupied while I tried to keep Koren from spazzing out.  And also I think her hair needed some evening and shaping after my last hack-job on it a few months ago.

There seems to be a lot of death going on around here.  I know that’s nothing new, but it seems to come and go in waves.  At times, it’s particularly sobering.

My great uncle, the last of his generation in my mom’s family, passed away this weekend – at the age of 102.  At the age of 100, he was still working out three times a week and volunteering at Cook’s Children’s Medical Center and the American Red Cross.  He had a quick wit, a big heart, and a good sense of humor about his age.  He kept his mind through to the end, even after his vision and hearing failed him.  I think that’s remarkable.

“I thought I just wanted to live to see the year 2000. I did, and it was just the same as 1999. Time does go by faster now. When I was a kid it seemed like Santa Claus never came. Now it seems like he’s coming every two months.”

M. Garrett on the passage of time, 2007

He will be missed.

I wish I could publish a more detailed account of his life, but I would certainly get my facts mixed up without some further research.  He’s being cremated and there will be a memorial soon.  Personally, I think that’s an excellent way to go.  I for one do not want people looking at me after I’m dead.  Also, burial plots are expensive.

It seemed as though he was ready to go.  And that’s good.  In that respect, he had reached a place so many others are not afforded. 

With that in mind, please keep the family of Connor C. in your thoughts and prayers this week.  Connor lost his 4-year battle with cancer this weekend. 

He was 8. 

He is survived by his parents, two brothers and a sister.  His younger brother Mason was in Kaelin’s class at school last year.

I just realized that I never posted about my incredibly squeezable little niece, Jasmine Faith.  She’s three weeks old!  And appears to be the sweetest, easiest, most contented baby in the world – at least whenever I’m around

Fashionably late, as always!

We celebrated the 4th of July on the 3rd of July, at my parent’s house.  We were joined by some family friends and had a wonderful time swimming, chatting, eating, and watching fireworks.  Kaelin slept most of the afternoon away, but when she finally decided to join us she had a great time in the pool with the local toad, holding her cousin Jasmine, and giving Mr. Randy haircuts with her plastic grooming tools.  Koren enjoyed… well, being Koren, he enjoyed eating and eating and more eating.  And then running around in a perpetual state of partially-controlled motion.

There are a few aspects of Singapore that I think the US definitely needs to adopt.  And a couple of those revolve around FOOD.

In Singapore, there is, quite literally, no need to cook.  It’s actually CHEAPER to eat out, thanks to the marvelous network of hawker stands.

They’re set up kind of like the state fair food stands, but the food is actually GOOD.  Like, REALLY GOOD.  And it’s CHEAP – roughly $2 per plate.  We fed 4 people and a child, including drinks, for about $14.  And you don’t have to wash the dishes afterward.  Why on earth would anyone ever cook with that kind of option?  The only downside is that you have to eat outside – no A/C.  But once you get used to that sticky-hot feeling, it’s totally worth it – and the cold shower when you get back feels that much better.

And sometimes, there’s even live entertainment, like this guy who was playing “Amazing Grace.”

One of the many local foods and refreshments we tried was cane juice.

It’s fresh-squeezed and they just run the stalks through this machine and collect the juice that comes out.  It tastes very light and sweet.  It’s refreshing, but you can only drink about half a glass before your taste buds need something with a little more flavor.

Food in the malls was also a treat.  In the US, we sort of consume mall food as a last resort – but in Singapore, the food court is a destination.  The food is as good as the hawker stands, but it has the advantage of being inside with the A/C (or Air-Con, as they call it there). 

Here we are after a delicious meal at the mall:

And here are Tricia and Rich, our great friends who generously put us up for the week and acted as our tour guides for the city:

If you’re not in the mood for a full meal at the mall, there are all sorts of treats and snacks available on the lower floors:

Speaking of the malls, Shopping is pretty much the national pastime in Singapore.  In the country the size of one American city, there are dozens of malls.  Everyone goes there for the air conditioning, which – although they have in their houses – they don’t use because it’s “wasteful.”  They actually have a pretty poor opinion of American immoderation regarding the use of natural resources.  I tried explaining that people around here DIE every summer without the A/C but was told that 105° F is actually, “not that hot.”  I remain skeptical that the gentleman who told me this has ever actually experienced this kind of temperature without A/C.

We did have the fortune of arriving during “Singapore Sale,” an annual event in which most retail stores will offer discounts on their merchandise to encourage consumerism.  It’s similar to Boxing Day, except it lasts about a month.  We found ourselves in a different mall just about every day and came home with several “souvenirs.”

Well, I came home with several souvenirs.  Shopping isn’t really Jens’ thing, but he tagged along and was a very good sport.  I will say that clothes shopping in Singapore is REALLY DEPRESSING.  Let’s just say that their idea of clothing sizes is NOT the same as ours.  The largest size they even carry in some of the stores is a Size 4.

And I think that just about wraps up Singapore: Edition 2, thanks for joining us and stay tuned for more exciting adventures!  (cough, cough, ahem)

I’m glad to see there’s still SOME sense left in our legal system…

On June 30, the California Court of Appeal held that a man who was burned by the huge bonfire that ends the Burning Man festival each year could not sue the festival organizers.  Anthony Beninati admitted he had intentionally walked into the fire, and that he had previously known fire was hot.  But he argued, basically, that the organizers were negligent because they should not have let him approach the fire so closely.

He did not win.

From Lowering the Bar

You may have noticed a lack (or at least reduction) of entries recently.  That is because it is summer – that time of year when I lose any ability to get A SINGLE THING done because the kids are out of school.  So this is me sneaking 5 minutes to post some random pictures while Koren naps and Kaelin is otherwise occupied.

I never get tired of bath pictures.

Burp Cloths: better than pacifiers.

Just ’cause.