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We lived in Singapore between 1998 and 2002. We had moved there from Hong Kong, where I had been living since 1995 and Menno since 1994 (see some pictures of Hong Kong). After four years in Singapore, we decided it was time to say goodbye to the tropical paradise nation. Before embarking on a new overseas adventure, we wanted to get back to our roots for a while. We shipped all our stuff back and we ourselves set foot on Dutch soil again on Sept 4, 2002.

I enjoyed living in Singapore very much, particularly because of the weather (you NEVER have to wonder what to wear when you go outside, just remember to take an umbrella for the occasional shower), the safety, the greenery, the efficient infrastructure, and the fact that just about everyone speaks English (well, Singlish, but that's close enough), and... okay I think I better stop now because this is starting to sound like propaganda!

We taped a video segment on our life in Singapore for Dutch television station BVN-TV, which broadcasts via satellite for Dutch people living abroad, in June 2002. This was broadcast during its programme called "Van Huis Uit" on August 23, 2002.

Home

We rented an apartment in a condominium in the west of Singapore. We just loved it there and could often be found downstairs lounging around or swimming in the pool. The picture above on the right was taken from our living room window. We were always amazed that not more of the hundreds of people living in our condo used its facilities, they seemed to be holed up in their airconditioned homes.

Because I sat behind a computer for hours on end every day and I suffer from bad posture resulting from a back injury, I took Pilates classes twice a week. I did this for almost one and a half years and although it's not a miracle cure, I did benefit from it and had a lot less backaches and headaches. Pilates consists of stretching and strengthening exercises that work mostly on deep-lying muscles and make you more flexible. To read more about this, visit my Pilates studio's website.

Spare time

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Besides just hanging out and enjoying the nice weather, we also often went for a hike in one of the parks, mostly Bukit Batok Nature Park, because it was very close to our house, or a bit further away to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

We regularly encountered not only squirrels and exotic birds but also monkeys, monitor lizards and snakes on our walks. This kept things exciting and interesting.

I also sometimes went rollerblading, although - I have to admit - not that often. The blades I had were a bit stiff and not very comfortable, and I found it very exhausting to skate in 33 deg C / 90 deg F weather (yeah yeah, excuses excuses...).

Since Menno worked from home, he could go out and about whenever he wanted. I worked strange hours at The Straits Times Interactive, mostly morning shifts from 5.30 am to 2.30 pm, which meant that I still had many daylight hours to enjoy - if I didn't come home and crash into bed utterly exhausted from a lack of sleep, that is.

I'm not too fond of shopping, and Menno absolutely hates it. Only once in a while did I go out to shop for clothes or shoes. My one real weakness, though, is buying CDs. If I see a CD shop, especially if they have special deals, I'm just drawn in and I have to constantly tell myself not to buy everything I like. I really love music and have a very diverse taste, although female singer-songwriters are my favourite. Because I have such a big CD collection, I've had to list it for myself because more than once have I almost bought a CD that I forgot I already have!

Movies

One thing Menno and I both enjoy very much is watching movies. Cinema tickets are not expensive in Singapore, especially compared to some other countries where you almost have to save up first to be able to go see a movie!

It's a cheap thrill in Singapore and we went to just about every major Hollywood release, as well as to the better international films which unfortunately were only released occasionally. I guess we saw about 6 movies in the cinema every month.

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While on the movie topic, here's a picture of Tom Cruise together with Penelope Cruz and Cameron Crowe which I snapped during a gala premiere of their movie Vanilla Sky, for which they came to Singapore and we managed to secure an invitation.

To be honest, it wasn't that glamorous at all and the trio left after spending less than 10 minutes in the cinema, but still, Tom's a big star and you don't often get to see those up-close.

We also liked going to concerts, festivals, musicals and the theatre. While living in Singapore, we saw live performances by American singer-songwriter Jewel, old rockers Deep Purple and 'America's new romantic piano sensation' Jim Brickman. Some of the musicals we went to in Singapore were Miss Saigon, Chicago, Rent, Porgy & Bess and local production Chang & Eng. We also regularly went to outdoor festivals like Womad (World Of Music, Art and Dance), and to classical music performances.

Trips

Another good thing about living in Singapore was that the small nation is surrounded by bigger, interesting and tropical countries like Indonesia and Malaysia. Within two hours from leaving home, we could be walking on a white sandy beach in Malaysia or lounge in a deckchair at a resort in Indonesia. We tried to go on such trips, even if it was for just a long weekend, at least once every two months or so. See the travel section in this site for more info and pictures.

Here's a peek into our life in "the garden city" : Singapore pictures (pop-up window with clickable arrows to scroll through the pictures).