Majulah to Singapura

Ok, I don't really know if the title is grammatically correct (please correct me my Malay friends) but what I meant to say is "Onwards to Singapore!"

It would have been about time to come up with a T+712 days post if not for the fact that we are moving back to Singapore. And when I say moving back, I mean that our house is empty and our car is sold.

So as I sit by our luggage holding my fussy baby, I marvel at how wonderful these two years have been, thanking God for all the blessings he has bestowed upon me.

I also start to think about all that I'm going to miss. There are just too many so here are five that I shortlisted.

5. Shopping

Well, this is the land of factory outlets and cheap(er) branded goods. No more needs to be said when crew comes to the US with empty bags and leave with them bursting.

It doesn't just end there. The return/exchange policy here is so insane that it basically makes post purchase dissonance extinct. In most cases, you can return the items within 60 days, so long you have not used them. There are however outliers, like REI, that allows for return , even if it had been before.

WOW, right? I mean I get to try my hiking boots for real, not just a "hike" around the shop.

This is perfect for people like me, who after 28 years of living, still can't figure out my shoe size and always end up having bruised toenails.

The greatness of shopping in the USA doesn't end there. If you haven't heard already, there is this company called Amazon that does online shopping (Just in case you really haven't heard, it is kind of like Taobao but on steroids.) and because we are a Prime member, almost everything on their site ships to us free within 2 days - with no minimum order. Prices are very competitive and we use them as benchmarks whenever we try to purchase stuff in store. The range of products Amazon carry is so diverse that you can buy a bag of soil from a UFO crash site. This makes shopping very convenient, especially when you have a baby and preparing to go with a baby in the first few months of her life is like getting ready for a week long holiday.

Oh, and did i mention that they can do groceries or pick up that dish that you've been craving from that restaurant for you too?

4. Dog friendliness

It is amazing how much people here love dogs. We were getting ribs at Campfire BBQ with Lexie and Charcs and there was a sign that said "No children after this sign, well behaved dogs welcomed".

Ha. And who said it was easier to bring babies out?

Not only are most eateries here dog friendly, some major retailers like Home Depot and Lowes allow dogs in their premises.

However, the best part about having a dog here are the off leash dog parks, such as the one in Marymoor. Covering 40 acres, the park includes fields, woods and a river, with well maintained access beaches, paths, walkways and bridges. Over six miles of looping trails offer a variety of dog walking opportunities and five river access points are available for dogs that like to swim and water retrieve*. This is definitely Charcoals' favourite place on earth.

*Copied and pasted from their website. Don't need to Turninit so don't care.

3. Microsoft

Working for a big company has its perks, and I've always been a fan of being employed by an established firm. Benefits from Microsoft are super duper good, I mean, like who would give you hundreds of dollars to keep fit or go for a kayaking trip in Alaska.

Kayaking with icebergs at Bear Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park

Having a baby under their health benefits plan is also =D cheaper than having one is SG for sure. Too bad you can't make a baby in one day, otherwise I'd make a second Lexie.

The work life balance here is also second to none. On a bad day, Mark goes to work at 930am, comes home for lunch, returns to work and comes home from work at 630pm. I don't mind more bad days in Singapore if that is what it is.

2. The Great Outdoors

One of the best part about living in the States is that you can go for a holiday without leaving the country (although that also means that it take uber long to get from Seattle to New York).

In my 2.5 years of partying in the USA, I've visited 7.5/59 parks - we just did Mt. Rainer National Park in our last week here with the whole gang.

(and when I say gang, I mean the four of us plus two infants and two crazy dogs packed in a monstrous Dodge Caravan that only Mark dares to drive.)

It was so fogged up we only saw Rainer for five minutes, so I only count it as 0.5.

Reflections Lake in Mount Rainer National Park while the sky was clear for 5 min.

All the other times when it was too cloudy.

Nevertheless, these parks are probably the best thing about America.

Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park

They are cheap, relatively accessible, promotes healthy living and each National Park has its own charm.

ShiShi Beach, Olympic National Park (photo: Koh Zi Chun)

Olympic National Park (photo: Koh Zi Chun)

Great Basin National Park, (photo: Koh Zi Chun)

Great Basin National Park, (photo: Koh Zi Chun)

ShiShi Beach, Olympic National Park (photo: Koh Zi Chun)

Lake Cresent, Olympic National Park

Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park

Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park (photo: Serena Tan)

Yosemite (photo: Katherine Woo)

Subway, Zion National Park (photo: Cheryl Woo)

Sunrise point, Bryce Canyon National Park

Antelope Canyon (photo: our weird tour guide)

Bear Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park

Harding Ice Field, Kenai Fjords National Park

White water rafting down a river in the middle of nowhere, according to Mark. My guess is that it somewhere in Seaward or Fairbanks, Alaska.

Somewhere in Denali National Park

Somewhere else in Denali National Park

Along the road in Denali National Park

Walking on the glacier at Harding Ice Field, Kenai Fjord National Park

I still have loads of pictures (which probably do more justice to the beauty of the parks) stuck in my SD cards unprocessed =( I probably should touch them up soon and perhaps come up with a guide for each place that we've been to. But realistically, that will probably happen when Lexie gets married or something haha.

The outdoors that I love also include the wild blackberry bush and that grape vine just behind our Church's Stake Center, which ensure that we are fed both spiritually and physically whenever we go for stake conferences.