Singapore

Hiya! Sorry it took so long to post, Mom and I just got back last night. Singapore was awesome! In case you have no idea what Singapore is, here's a brief history:

Originally Singapore was a tiny sea town in between two powerful nations. Singapore first became well-known when Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles arrived in 1819 to make the island town a bastion for the British Empire. From then on it prospered as a trade outlet for Southeast Asia and attracted large numbers of Chinese immigrants.
The good days of the Empire stopped suddenly when the Japanese invaded Singapore in 1942. For the rest of WWII, Japan ruled. Although the British were welcomed after the war, they did not last long. The socialist People's Action Party (PAP) was founded in 1954, and had a victory in elections in 1959. Singapore is now a city-country.

I quickly found out the main things Singaporeans do in life: eating and shopping. Shopping is probably the unofficial national sport.

Karen and her family were so nice. Her and her husband Chonz (like John's with a ch at the beginning) and their two-year-old son EJ, were great. EJ's nanny, Ling-ling, also stayed with them. The first day we didn't do much besides go to the Thai embassy to get our visas which we would pick up in three days, and go to a concert at the Asian Civilizations Museum. Since Karen and Chonz worked from 6am to 7pm, but didn't get home 'till 9:30pm because they had dinner with EJ's retired grandparents who had the babysitting job, we had the day to ourselves.

EJ was so sweet! They told him to call me Che-che (elder sister) Rachael and Mom Auntie Margie! I called him Seow tii-tii, little brother. Seow is pronounced like meow but with a s at the beginning. EJ is smart for his age and has very good talking skills. At one point we had a nightly ritual: I would lie on the bed with Mom or Karen at the other side making sure EJ didn't fall off and EJ would bounce and somersault. It was great.

During the weekend all of us hung out, Karen and I having fun on her computer game Mafia. We went shopping (of course), and did some stuff. We got around town using the MRT, Mass Rapid Transit. It's sorta like a subway train. Soon MRT's will be all over the country.

Singapore was a great place to be, but it was time to leave. I really like Karen and her family. They were so nice and are the best.