Birth-a-versary Weekend!! (1st Anniversary and Melissa's Birthday)

 Chris here....Being our first anniversary together (and first big reason to celebrate in Singapore) we decided to stay the night at the exquisite Marina Bay Sands Hotel on the waterfront. I booked us a room that overlooked the entire city and we had one of the best nights of our lives! Being our anniversary, the front desk let us check in a couple hours early, and we used that timely wisely to go enjoy the rooftop infinity pool and hot tub on the 57th.

smooch!!

Later, we decided to check out the casino (which is rumored to make more money than all of the casinos 

on the Vegas strip in a given night). After a quick tour of the casino, and a few pulls on a very tight slot machine, we decided it best to head to dinner. 

(this is the only pic that wasn't confiscated by security...apparently you aren't allowed to take pics in the casino...)

Our reservation was for the Chocolate and 

Cheese Bar—the most amazing buffet of amazing snacks we’ve ever had! We gorged ourselves on fancy cheese and artisan chocolates and enjoyed our sea-side view and outdoor seating. The staff even brought us a special anniversary slice of cake to share, which was great because we weren’t able to bring a slice of our own wedding cake when we moved from Raleigh. 

It was a great night! 

chocolate....

and cheese....

= love! 

The following morning while Melissa was in the shower, I hastily decorated the hotel room with balloons and a happy birthday sign. She was surprised and excited! She opened presents and sipped some birthday champagne (Korbel from CA- thanks Bob and Cathleen!), and then we headed back up to the 57th floor for a couple more hours of pool-time before check out. We were in for an extra wet surprise when we got there (the pictures show it best). 

maybe a little too much Korbel?!

Everyone scattered when the rain started. We had the pool to ourselves! 

dancing in the rain

Later that night, we headed to Melissa's boss's house for a birthday dinner. They were such gracious hosts and presented a delicious Indian dinner and chocolate cake. Tradition stands that the host hand-feeds the guest of honor, and their family, cake. So Chris and I were received with multiple hand-fed bites of cake. What a special insight into a cultural tradition! Thanks to Monika and Dinesh for welcoming us so dearly!

birthday cake at the Verma's beautiful house

Now we are packing to come back to the US for two weeks! First we will head to NC to visit family and friends around Raleigh. I will also put on a two-day workshop at NC State as part of a grant project I have been working on this past year. After what will certainly be a great backyard BBQ at Ian’s place, we will do our best to catch up with friends before heading to CA to see Chris’ West Coast family. It’s sure to be a whirlwind, but one that will help remind us that our family spans the 

world! See you all soon!

xoxo

Bye mom and dad! I will miss you! 

 Melisa here.....(ok, ok so clearly we are a few weeks behind on posting ;P ) We HAD a great trip to the US and treasured every minute of it. In NC, we enjoyed time with friends and family with an awesome cookout at Ian's, an Italian Pizzeria fundraiser for Connor's school, and a very fun night at the Durham Bulls Ballpark.

A great time at the Durham Bulls Game! Thanks Margot for hosting, and G-ma Mary for babysitting. Such an AMAZING group of friends! 

the kids love the chopsticks we brought! 

GG Bob enjoying the party

In CA, Chris enjoyed some father-son time at Lake Tahoe with Bob, and I enjoyed some relaxed bonding time with Mama Cath, Heather, Jeff and Owen. Great trip and wonderful seeing everyone! Love and Hugs!!

Cummings/ Morrow Family photo!

Owen loves his lion/dragon from Singapore

Bob and Chris in Lake Tahoe

Girl time

Dinner to celebrate Chris' birthday

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for updates from our latest trip to Bali, Indonesia. PS....Jazzy has a new friend that keeps her company while we are travelling and she always gets special attention when we return, so she is very happy! Aren't you girl???

 Love from our family to yours!! xoxo Melissa, Chris and Jazzy

Physio Conference and Vesak Day

Melissa here......I attended my first International Physiotherapy Congress in Singapore! It happened to be the 25th Anniversary of the Singapore Physiotherapy Association (SPA), in which my boss is the President, so the event was very nice. I was amazed at the formality and pomp and circumstance surrounding the event. There was a formal sit down dinner with multiple performances (singers, dancers, a SG celebrity emcee), a 10 course Chinese meal and a speech by the "Minister of Health" himself! The courses, posters, research and break out sessions were all very informative. I look forward to May 2015 when Singapore is hosting the World Congress of PT! All my PT colleagues should register and submit abstracts!

Dancers perform during dinner!

My employer, Dinesh Verma. Owner of V2U Healthcare and PhysioAsia Therapy Center 

Fellow Congress member, Aprita

We joined many religious faithful this year at the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery for the Buddhist celebration of Vesak Day; to honor the birth, enlightenment, and death of Buddha. We enjoyed seeing the amazing colors and iconography around the temple compound. In total, there were around 10 buildings to explore, each with beautifully decorated tile floors and walls and statue depicting all kinds of spiritual beings.  Walking through the observant crowds, we gained a sense that no matter how long we stayed in this place, we would never come to know it as they do. Even though we didn't know half of what was going on around us, we were happy to feel so welcome and free to walk through the beautiful temple grounds.

When we returned home, we took Jazzy on a stroll to find the Bodhi Tree here on NTU campus.  Acconding to the NTU Buddhist Society,  The Bodhi tree sapling was from its parent tree which is a branch from the very tree Lord Shakyamuni Buddha sat under upon Enlightenment.

On walking home, Jazzy took some time to enjoy the palm fronds and monkey grass on campus.

For dinner, Chris and I tried our hands at homemade dumplings and shu mei. They weren't the prettiest, but they were delicious!! 

 Yummmm. All for now....stay tuned for pictures from our stay at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore and our trip to Bali!!

Mother's Day at the Botanic Gardens and End of the Semester

Melissa here-
Situated just five minutes away from bustling Orchard Road, the Singapore Botanic Gardens is a lush sanctuary in the heart of the city.

On Mother's Day, Chris and Melissa joined Melissa's intern Nicole (Doctor of Physio student from Austin) and her host brother, at the Gardens. The Gardens were beautiful! The Orchid Garden was our favorite!! 

From the website.........Since 1859, orchids have been closely associated with the Gardens. The products of the Gardens' orchid breeding program, which began in 1928, deserve a place where they can be displayed in their full splendor. The very design of these orchids is, one could say, 'hand-crafted' by the Gardens' horticultural staff, dedicated to bringing out the finest in any hybrid cross.

With over 1000 species and 2000 hybrids on display, the splendor of these gorgeous blooms is absolutely a sight to behold at the National Orchid Garden.

 Although we missed spending Mother's Day with our mothers, we had a beautiful day filled with sharing stories from home and thinking fondly about about how lucky we are to come from such good families. We all wished that our families, and especially our mothers were there to share the vistas and "stop and smell the orchids" at the garden. Love to all the Moms!!

A garden for Gingers!!! (of course I HAD to take my hair down for this one ;) )

cheese! 

                               

Chris and Garreth

Tiger Orchid

Chris here-

The end of the semester is always a busy time around the university; with students stressed out

cramming for exams. Yet many don’t realize that much of the exam work for profs on campus begins AFTER the students have finished. Not only that, but NTU is much more formal in its measures taken during exam weeks. My 170 students reported to a specified “exam hall” on campus where they took their exam in silence, while being directed by pre-recorded instructions for times, rules, etc. It reminded me of taking the SAT years ago, but more formal and routine for the students. Then came the joyous task of grading all of their essay exams and finalizing their overall calculations. Luckily, I was supported this semester by a great team of TAs who were able to help me tabulate scores and enter the data. All in all it was a great first semester and I can’t wait to teach my first Master’s-level course next semester!

WKWSCI Freshman Class

Exam hall

My Office and TAs!

Stay tuned for the next installment.....

The month of May.....

Melissa and Chris here,

MAY IS THE BUSIEST MONTH!

Somehow, the month of May came and went in a flash—but not without a few stories to share. We are going to break the following adventures in to a few separate blog installments. Here is what is in store for you!!

Jurong Bird Park

Mother’s Day Botanical Garden

End of Semester

Singapore International Conference

Vesak Day

Anniversary Birthday

US Holiday


First, in order to find some time to explore another side of Singapore we had yet to seen, M & C went to the Jurong Bird Park which is a very close 10 minute taxi ride from home. We spent the day walking around the park (which reminded us of something like SeaWorld for birds) and enjoyed seeing the cranes, eagles, flamingos, and penguins. Melissa even got to feed the Pelicans! We were amazed at how few people there were at the park on such a nice Friday afternoon. We enjoyed a leisurely train-ride around the park, as well as exploring the various exhibits and seeing the exotic wildlife from all over the world. As you can see from the videos and pics—we had a great time interacting with the animals! We even enjoyed an unexpected (yet surprisingly typical for Singapore) torrential downpour on our walk home. All in all, it proved a great break before Chris’ first final exam to give to his students at NTU.

taxi ride...it is hot!

bwacaaa!

feeding the pelicans

scarlet ibis

Stay tuned for the next "May Installment-Mother's Day at The Botanic Gardens!"