What a week...

Monday morning at the crack of dawn, I got word from young Matt that he had no meal plan at school. I know for a fact that I signed him up for this plan. The money to pay for it is coming out of my checking account. I opened up my trusty blue notebook - the one with all the important papers and passwords, and found the information! I was indignant. Until I turned it over and read the back side where it very specifically indicates that a signature is required and a form needed to mailed by a due date long past. Whoops. I should have known it was an omen and gone back to bed. For the week.

This has been my life here in Singapore. Things are either just fine, the people are lovely and competent and things go without a hitch. Until they aren't and they don't.

We ordered some chairs from a guy. They were really a fabulous deal, very comfortable, unlike the church pews we have in our apartment. Fly By Night Singapore was delivering them at 10AM Tuesday. The people here are timely and sincere. Until they aren't. 11AM I called. They said - half hour. Didn't put me on hold, didn't rustle papers around to give me the illusion of competence, didn't shush the dogs barking in the backgroud - nothing. 12PM they showed up. Boy was I relieved! I have already experienced the Singaporean Return Policy...

We have a postage stamp size washing machine. One day this week it began belching out more water than I thought an inadequate machine of this kind could belch. I called downstairs. I felt it was a matter of some urgency. They never did show up. I continue to wash clothes, but with towels around the machine in case it has another episode. It hasn't. I guess this stuff happens.

I met a very hyperactive woman on the elevator. She was quite the bundle of energy and was headed to the 'Swiss meat market.' I was looking for some comic relief, so I headed out with her. We got into a cab, she looks at me and says..."Where is this place, anyway?" I guess she forgot whose idea this little adventure was. As it happened we got the worst cab driver in Singapore. He did not know a word of English. He was lost. He thought we were nuts. And he took us for a ride. We finally got out on the corner of Walk and Don't Walk (or 'Green Man' and 'Red Man'...) and went into a Chevy dealership that sold mostly Mazdas and Hyundais. They told us to take the #170 bus and get out by the 'Girl's School.' We took the 170, got off by some school, walked about 5 blocks, almost got mowed down by a guy with so much trash piled on top of his bicycle that he was completely eclipsed, found the market, bought our meat, took a cab back and had a fair number of cocktails by the pool. It was actually the best day of the week.

In a couple weeks we move out of the city and go to Little America up by Andrew's school. Darn. I am just beginning to get the hang of it here...

And oh yeah - don't worry grandma and grandpa - the meal plan is worked out. The boy is eating just fine.