Posted 8:27 AM by Anne Wilhoit
Happy Earth Day Everyone!

David and I ventured over the causeway to Malaysia yesterday. We took a “special” taxi – the driver is licensed to drive over the border from Singapore. Getting through is no problem; just a quick check of our passports, and we are on our way. There is not much to see in Johor Bahru but we had heard that things were “much cheaper” in Malaysia, so we just wanted to check it out. Our first stop was a mall, of course. There were lots of shops selling of knock-off leathers, purses, shoes, t-shirts, etc. Tons of cd, vcd, and DVD shops with guys standing guard by the doors. If a security person comes by (which one did) the doors quickly close. David had fun searching for $1.50 US computer games and DVDs. I, in turn, picked up a few trinkets – just little hair accessories and some favors for Katie’s b-day party. Our “big” purchases came later on in the day at a grocery store – food is definitely cheaper up there, so we bought a few things like cereal, to carry home. Imported cereal from the U.S. is quite expensive here in Singapore. Also, in between the mall and grocery store, we stopped at Pizza Hut. Can you believe it? We just were “in the mood” for pizza. So, we had individual pizzas and a pitcher of Pepsi all for about $7.00 US. On the way to the mall where the grocery store was, we had the taxi driver drive by a mosque – the largest mosque in Johor. It was really beautiful from the outside but we could not go in. We also stopped off at the Hyatt Regency and had coffee and snacks at the café. It was perfect timing to stop for a break as a thunderstorm kicked in for about 45 minutes. Anyway, we got a glimpse of the city and after seeing the Osama pictures in the last mall we went in, and being the only Caucasians there, we decided we don’t need to go back. I really felt a little nervous in that mall. David said he did not notice it until I mentioned it but then he kind of got a little disturbed when we walked by the Osama pictures.

While we were gone, Katie had a treat! Lis brought her daughter Noor to come play yesterday afternoon. Noor is 12 and she and Katie had a great time. We have a lot of things that Noor had not seen; she loved the Barbie cash register. Katie and she played every board game we have while Amanda napped. It sounded like they had a great time.

I’m on the path to recovery after being on antibiotics for a throat infection. The girls both have runny noses and coughs. We are still working through some issues with David’s skin reactions and hope to have some “final” solution soon.

All in all, it was a nice weekend. On Saturday, we had a BBQ down by the pool with some friends from the complex. One couple just moved from Texas and they brought their smoker with them so Kevin BBQed and smoked up lots of different kinds of meats. It was a good, old-fashioned American BBQ with friends - the only exception being that it was not in the good ole’ U.S. of A.

Posted 3:26 PM by Anne Wilhoit
Doctors and Dentists are the name of the day,
You'll visit them lots and won't have much say.
For Katie a cleaning and clean bill of health,
New 6-year molars and from a fairy lots of wealth.
Amanda scared us when she went splat,
A blue/black egg on the head was a result of that.
Anne's got a bug down in her throat,
So now it’s some pills to help HER cope.
As for David, he gets covered in Hives
So tomorrow a special doctor will try to decide,
Is he allergic to shellfish, nuts, or the beer...
Or is it three girls that are living with him here?

Posted 9:20 PM by Anne Wilhoit
Katie was in la-la land the second her head hit the pillow but Amanda took about an hour to settle down. Well, what can I expect…after all, she had a big day today! I can hardly believe my “baby” is 2 years old. I was thinking that she actually is not 2 years old until a little after 5:00 PM Daylight Savings Time (since she was born on that time), but oh well, we celebrated on Singapore’s April 10th! Last night we had 3 friends over for a casual pizza dinner and cake celebration. David had to leave for Tokyo late last night and would miss Amanda’s actual b-day today, so we thought we would celebrate last night. We had a fun time. Amanda had fun opening her presents. She also loved receiving cards in the mail so she could rip open the envelopes. She doesn’t need much help anymore. So as she turned two, I was reflecting on some of her favorite things and came up with the following:

BARNEY!
BARNEY!
BARNEY!
BOP
French Fries
“Reading” books
Working puzzles
Bath time
Taking Katie to the Bus in the morning
Picking Katie up from the Bus in the afternoon
Did I mention BARNEY?
Animals: Monkeys, Dogs, and Cats
“Talking” on the phone (She listens mostly)
Cheese (She has out-grown her lactose intolerance!)
Waving bye-bye to all the locals
Singing the “Wheels on the Bus”
Still likes her “bee-bee” (pacifier)
Loves her big sister!
Playgroup and Kindermusik
Stomping around in anyone else’s shoes but hers (the bigger and louder, the better!)
Horse Rides on Lis’ back (Our babysitter)
Rough-housing with Daddy (and giggling non-stop)
Singing “This Little Piggy” and acting out “wee, wee, wee…all the way home”

Amanda’s b-day is our biggest news. It is pretty much “business as usual” around here although I’m still trying to finish organizing the apartment. I bought two nightstands, a chest of drawers, and a writing table today. It will be nice to have something in our bedroom other than our bed. I will be able to get some stacks off the floor! Yee-haw! I know, I know, I get a little overly-excited when it comes to organizing. Right now, it’s off to bed…I awoke at 4:00 AM with Amanda this morning. After settling her back in around 4:30, I awoke again at 5:30 to thunder and lightning and only dosed until the alarm went off at 6:00 AM. Good-night.

Posted 9:24 PM by David Wilhoit
A friend told me last Wednesday about an online ticket service in Singapore (like ticketmaster back home). I logged in and found that JEWEL was going to be playing on Friday. Thinking that is was probably sold out I logged on and found that tickets were actually available. We were able to get center section maybe 20 rows back!! I asked around at work and nobody had heard of her, which explains why the tickets were available. The auditorium holds maybe 2500 people so it was nothing like the "Day on the Green" concerts from high school. One thing I still have trouble getting use to is "Singapore Time". The concert tickets said that it starts at 8:00 P.M. So at 7:00 Anne and I show up and without any exaggeration we were one of around 25 people out in front picking up there tickets.

We went for a coffee and returned around 20 minutes to 8:00. Now inside there was maybe 200 people. By the time the lights dimmed the auditorium was probably 3/4 full but it was 8:45. I have been cursed with my Dad's promptness. As the lights dimmed there was a strange experience as hundreds of people in the back stood up in unison and walked down to whatever open seat was closer. So much for paying for good seats!!! Looking around at the audience made me feel right back home in the US of A as the majority were Ex-pats.

Well the concert was great! For those who don't know Jewel she is very hard to categorize. She has some songs which are like folk music from the 60's, some ballads, some rock, and she even yodels. She is also a funny lady. Songs you might know are "Who will save your soul", "You were meant for Me", "Foolish Games".

Saturday was an exciting day. It started off with my little slugger, Katie, having her first Tee-ball practice and game. It was a lot of fun and Hilarious. We practiced for 45 minutes and had a game for 45 minutes. Well you can't really call it a game. Every player got to bat and run the bases. So I will try and paint you a picture. Imagine 15 five year olds all wearing uniforms which look two sizes two big. A kid comes up and hits the ball. All 15 kids swarm to the ball. The kid who hits the ball runs to first base (all is going well), then runs to third, while the scramble for the ball ensues. Katie had fun but I think dad had more.

She is playing on the Red Sox and is Number 7 (Dom DiMaggio's number) - We will keep you upto Date. I have to admit we went to the wrong Red Sox (6-7 year olds) and this is why her uniform is soooo big.

After the game the Singapore American School had a Country Fair. I will let Anne tell you about all of the activities which went on there.

Go Giants!!!

Oh Yeah, And Go Red Sox!!

Posted 11:40 AM by Anne Wilhoit
We’ve just finished a nice and casual Easter Brunch with some friends here at our apartment. Come to think of it, they were our first guests. The dads hid 40 eggs down by the pool for the girls to find. It was nice to celebrate the day with friends and nice to have the rest of the afternoon and evening to “gear up” for Monday morning…back to work and school after the Spring Break and our terrific cruise. Here are some of the highlights of our cruise:

Day One: Board ship in Singapore about 3pm. David and the 4 girls…mommy, Katie, Amanda, and Lis. We checked in to our rooms and were very happy with them! We had 2 outside balcony rooms with plenty of room. David and I claimed one and we set the girls up with Lis right next door in the adjoining room. Time to explore the ship! Katie and Lis camp out at Charlie’s Child Care and David, Amanda, and I venture up to the 13th deck for a cold mocha and some French fries. No excuses for junk food…its vacation!
We meet up with Katie and Lis down at Charlie’s and see the indoor play area complete with activity center for arts and crafts, indoor ball pit and jungle gym with slide, napping room complete with cribs and mini-beds, and a theatre with overstuffed chairs for the kids to cuddle up in. Ok, I think this is going to work out just fine. Wait…there is more…the kid’s Neptune Pool right outside comes complete with 2 water slides. Yee-haw! After unpacking and getting the rooms set up it’s off to find some dinner for the girls! There is plenty to choose from at the Mediterranean Buffet. Back to the rooms and time to see if our plan of having the girls sleep in one room with Lis will work. So, good-night girls and we close the door which adjoins the room. Some initial cries from Amanda then the giggling starts. Lis knows how to take care of them! David and I head out for a quiet dinner, drinks, a Las Vegas style show (yup, they were topless!), and to check out the casino. We don’t make it back to our cabin until after 1:00 AM which is late for us!

Day Two: The girls actually sleep in – we don’t hear voices next door until around 8:00 AM. Lis reports that Amanda woke up once at night but after a quick bottle went back to sleep. We spend the morning together for breakfast and then David and I head off for a massage and to catch our tour ashore in our first Port-of-Call: Langkawai, Malaysia (border of Malaysia and Thailand). Langkawai Island is actually a string of islands: 102 when it is low tide, 99 when it is high tide. Our dive boat brings us out to one of the remote islands (about 45 minutes from where the ship docks) to a Marine Preserve. We enjoyed a day of some of the best snorkeling I have ever done. The fish are so abundant…they swim right into your mask…just hundreds of them. Great finds: a clam, several very large gruper, several reef sharks, sea cucumbers, coral, and a big barracuda (we estimate about 4 -5 feet) as well as all the local, colorful reef fish. We enjoyed a boxed lunch on the beach and after a few hours all the other boats left and ours was the only one left in the cove. We enjoyed a walk around the beach and after we boarded the boat to head back to the ship, we enjoyed a nice nap. Back on the ship we met up with the girls and all had dinner together. David cruised out to try his luck at the casino but I hung out in the room and read for a while before turning in “early”.

Day three highlights: We arrive in Phuket…actually, Phuket Island…Thailand. It’s an early morning as David, Katie, and I have to be aboard the tender boat at 7:45 AM to catch our tour ashore. It’s actually even earlier here; one hour earlier. It’s already 25 Celsius and it’s only 7:00 AM Thailand time. We’ve been informed that it rained the night before which was the first rain in 2 months so it has “cooled down” the island. You call this cool? And I thought Singapore was hot…holy cow! We board the bus for the Siam Nature Safari and upon arriving at the safari and hopping up on to the open range rovers, I’m definitely not regretting leaving Amanda with Lis aboard the ship. The 15 minute ride up the steep rocky (bumpy) road affords us some amazing vistas and a chance to see how some of the locals live. Upon arriving at the safari we are greeted by 3 young female elephants and are treated to an explanation of the safari’s intention to preserve these amazing beasts. The elephants do a little showing off too and Katie even receives an elephant kiss. It’s off to ride an elephant. Our local Tai guide jumps up with his bare feet and straddles the elephant right around her head, with his feet dangling to the sides behind her ears. We are welcomed aboard on a bench seat which is anchored somehow…I’m not quite sure…and as we start our ride we definitely feel as if we might fall off. It’s a great ride through this little jungle area. We ride for 30 minutes and see lots of rubber trees and pineapple groves as well as a beautiful vista of the East Coast of the island (we are up pretty high). Our guide motions that he will take a picture of us so we agree. Yikes…wait…where are you going? I didn’t think you were going to get off the elephant to take the picture…and now our elephant is walking with us on her but without the guide. The guide beckons her just to move forward a bit and I’m beckoning the guide to return to his proper spot up here! After snapping the picture, he finds a high rock, climbs up there and asks the elephant (through a series of grunts and squeals) to position herself aside the rock so her can climb back on. Whew…he is back on and guiding us again. After the elephant ride we tour a Buddhist temple area and then stop for a short shopping spree and a great buffet lunch. After lunch it’s off to the monkey training school where the monkeys perform and so does the audience. I got picked (I did not volunteer) for some monkey business. The highlight of the school was watching the monkeys climbing up the coconut palms and picking the coconuts. It’s time to head back to the ship and see how the other 2 girls survived their day. “No problem” reports Lis, who informs us that they played around on the ship and Amanda took a long morning nap. After freshening up (the temperature reached a soaring 35 Celsius) David and I head out to the Captain’s gala dinner and cocktail party. Lis takes the girls for dinner on their own. David and I were invited to the Captain’s table and met two other great couples…one from Scotland and one from Australia. We spent the rest of the night partying with them and had a great time. The Australian couple (Michael and Michelle) were aboard with their 4 boys. After the moms decided to turn in, Michael and David decided to enjoy a little black jack….well, not so sure “enjoy” is the term they would use to describe it. It was a fabulous day!

Day four: Family day on the ship as we sail back down to Singapore. Fun-filled day of swimming, playing, etc. Cruise into Singapore in the evening and pick up new passengers for the trip back up to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Set sail again about 10:30 PM.

Day five: David, Amanda, Katie, Lis, myself, and two friends from Fraser Suites go ashore in Kuala Lumpur to a fantastic water and theme park. The two friends (Elena and Regina) look just like they could be our daughters as well (strawberry blond hair and fair skin). Some Singaporeans did think we had four daughters! We had a great time at the water park…see pictures posted…it was hug and the water was so refreshing. Also, the kids rode some rides at the theme park. It was SO hot…I don’t know when I will stop saying that, but it really was just baking. After a late lunch Lis, Amanda, and I opted to stay in the air-conditioned mall next to the theme park. We indulged in a Starbuck’s delight and walked around trying to get Amanda to take a little nap in her stroller. She finally fell asleep on the bus ride back to the ship. David and I sent Lis and the girls off for dinner and we got ready for our anniversary dinner. We had “Dinner with the Masters” at Palazzo restaurant aboard the ship. This little Italian-Asian fusion place has only 7 tables and the walls are graced with a Van Gough, a Renoir, and a Matisse…all from the private collection of the main shareholder of Star Cruises. It was very romantic and the dinner was fantastic but the company was better. Happy 10 year Anniversary honey! This has been a great cruise and a vacation we will never forget.

Day six: We are approaching Singapore and Katie takes a last chance to play at Charlie’s Child Care while the rest of us stroll around the ship a while and then get packing. What an incredible trip it has been! We pick up our passports which have been stamped in Thailand (but no where else), and head of the ship and through immigration. It’s time to go home…all good things must come to end.

While we were enjoying our trip in our own “little world” here in Southeast Asia, we became aware of the heightened violence around the world. We continue to thank God for the blessings he has bestowed upon us, and pray for peace throughout the world.

Check back soon and pictures will be posted. We are just running into a few little glitches with the program right now.