The Jennifer Blogs

My friend Deneen mentioned today how much she loves browsing Fred Flare. I have been shopping their site for some time, and realized that I have quite a few cool websites in my bookmarks that are really fun! If you're looking for unique gift ideas for Christmas, these are my recommendations:


Blue Ribbon General Store - lots of fun stuff!
Destination Dinners - I've ordered from them a lot. Lisa is a great lady who really knows how to offer customer service!
Joy T-Shirt - They sell t-shirts, but these are like none you've ever seen!
Japan Trend Shop - Lots of crazy, funky stuff ~ just like you'd expect from the Japanese!
Firebox - Out of the UK, but if you're one of my UK or other overseas friends, this probably isn't an issue for you. And if you're a US friend, it's still worth the look!
This Into That - Art & a gift shop. This isn't really feasible for most people on your gift list, but if you wanna spend the money on me, I'll take the bookshelf.
Perpetual Kid - 'Cause what if you really do have someone on your list who would appreciate a Nice Jewish Guys 2011 calendar?
Delight - A little o' this and a little o' that.
JD Foods - Because everything should taste like bacon!
Ruby Jewel - Homemade ice cream sandwiches. And yes, you can ship them!
Ice Cream Source - Sticking with the shippable ice cream theme, how about some pomegranate martini ice cream?
Beat Up Creations - This is an Etsy site. I love Etsy for so many things, but this is one of my favorite shops on Etsy.
You Bars - Customize your own protein bars and protein shakes. You can do this for yourself, or for a health nut in your life! You can even put your own labels on them.

First I should tell you this is not my mother.  I could never use a picture of my actual mother.  That just wouldn't be right.  So I used a stock photo of someone else's mother.


I hate to use my first blog in a long time to whine, but when I stopped to think of what's going on in my life right now, all I can think about is the crap stuff.  So I'm hoping that by writing it all down I can get it out of my system and then maybe focus on the good stuff.


First of all, my mother was just in Singapore for a three-week visit.  We had a great time, but we all joked that my 73-year-old mother is way younger than the rest of us.  She wore us all out, including my teenagers!  (Of course, I should go on the record as saying my kids have gotten pretty lazy lately and aren't in the great shape they once were.)  Mom was ready to go-go-go every day, so that meant a lot of days where I would work, work, work just to get ahead so we could have one day where I didn't have to work.  I sacrificed sleep too.  So now that Mom has been gone for about five days, I'm coming down with something.  She left Tuesday morning and on Friday I started to feel "off."  Here it is Sunday night and I'm still not well.  It actually feels like strep throat without the burning throat.  Weird, right?  Especially since that's what makes strep throat, strep throat!  I've got something going on back there, but not quite sure what it is.  Thing is, I can't go to the doctor because there's really nothing to treat quite yet.  So I'll have to wait until the symptoms get worse or maybe go away on their own.  I'm hoping for the latter.


While Mom was here I was having some pretty bad pains in my leg.  My right calf was burning.  The cramp would begin almost immediately as we began walking anywhere.  Just three or four steps (at a snail's pace even) and I was in excruciating pain.  I went to the doctor while Mom was still here and he ordered an ultrasound.  I didn't want to go while Mom was still here, so I made that appointment for Thursday.  So the day before I started to come down with this non-strep-throat thing, I found out that I have a torn calf muscle.  In fact, the doctor said it appears as though it's a chronic thing and that this has been happening for a long time, possibly even before my injury six years ago that led to my knee surgery five years ago.  I was told to rest the leg.  My doctor doesn't want me walking anywhere.  He said if I have a choice to walk a couple of blocks or take a taxi or bus, I should opt for the public transportation.  No walking.  Period.


So now maybe you see why I can't think of anything else to write about right now.  I'm living in a foreign country where all I wanna do is walk around and take in the sights.  There are many great tours out there.  I've been on several, but not all of them.  But for at least six months I can't go anywhere on this leg if it involves walking on it.  And while I'm resting that now, I've got this crazy non-sore-throat thing I'm also dealing with.


But -- I've got it all down now.  It's been written.  So maybe I can walk past this and figure out what's next, or at least find the good stuff in my life that seems to be hidden behind my shadow of misfortune.

I'm beginning to wonder if my mail was swallowed by Eyjafjallajokull, the Icelandic volcano. You see, my mom mailed a birthday card to The Boy in plenty of time for it to arrive by his 23 April birthday. Around that same time, my friend Lou Ann mailed me Flat Stanley so I could photograph him on the Singapore Flyer or some other really cool Singapore destination.


The thing is, Iceland's volcano decided to erupt and mess with our airspace about this same time. So now I'm wondering - since neither piece of mail has arrived - whether it was lost along the way or maybe it will show up sometime by 2012.


Mailing things internationally can be a bit challenging as it is. It's not a huge deal from Singapore to the US, but it is expensive. But mailing things from the US to Singapore is kind of a hassle, so I feel so grateful to anyone who is willing to send us packages to a place where so many things are illegal or outlawed.


Gum, for instance. Mom sent me some of my favorite gum from the US, but it was taken from me by the Mail Police. Not only did they take it from me, but they made me open my package in front of them, remove the gum and then they proceeded to dump the gum into a bucket of water.


I'm hopeful eventually Jean-Luc's birthday money and Flat Stanley will show up someday, that is, unless Flat Stanley broke out of his package and opened the envelope and is on some shopping spree in Hong Kong. We may never see either of them again.

I have a craving for homemade chocolate chip cookies. And whose better to bake than Nanny's?

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream together butter and sugar.
Add egg and vanilla. Mix until light & fluffy.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt, and add gradually until blended.
Add Rice Krispies and chocolate chips
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Things have really been looking up for me and my business overseas.  I was very excited when I was recently asked to submit a quote for a Johnson & Johnson TV commercial. The client liked my demo, accepted my quote and hired me for the project. Four TV commercials.

I showed up to the studio 30 minutes prior to the scheduled recording so that I would be relaxed and acclimated to my surroundings. I was a little surprised to see that there was no separate booth for me. Instead, there was a microphone toward the back of this roughly 10'x10' room, a sheet music stand for my copy and a tall chair for me to sit in. Oh, and no headphones (and no place for me to plug mine in).

Finally the people from the advertising agency arrived. There were four of them, one a man from the US. The client showed up next and we were ready to go. In addition to these five people (and me) were two people from the studio. Eight people total in this small room.

Before we could begin recording, the engineer had to turn off the air conditioner. They don't have central AC in many places in Singapore, and the wall unit was making too much noise for us to be able to record. To say that it made the room stuffy is a huge understatement.

I wasn't thrilled with my mic either. I was certain a professional recording studio would have a Neumann microphone. When I asked about it, they acted almost like they had never heard of it before. Instead I was recording into some cheap microphone that, quite honestly, did not do my voice any justice. During playback, one of the reps from the advertising agency asked me if I have a cold. She then wanted to know why my voice sounded so different than it did in my demo. The client and the American man from the agency shook their heads, also wanting to know. I did my best to explain to them (without putting down the studio) that my demo was recording on a professional quality studio microphone.

The American man from the ad agency was the one giving me direction. He wanted me to sound sultry during this read. But there was something he didn't like about my delivery. He told me several times he didn't like my phrasing. Those are his words. I quote, "I do not like your phrasing there." He told me this as if I had anything to do with the copy. I did not write the copy, so I could not control the phrasing. I actually figured out about 30 minutes later he did not mean that he didn't like the phrasing. He didn't like the inflection I was giving one of the words in a specific phrase.

To make a long story short, after two hours in the studio, we gave up. There was a lot of external noise. The studio is next door to a school and the children on the playground were very loud. There were also interruptions of people walking in and out of the studio during the recording session. On top of this, some of the ad people found it necessary to leave their cell phones on and every time one of them would vibrate, the buzzing noise would create a huge distraction.

When I left the studio, the client told me it was not me. She told me the problem was that the studio is not a suitable place to record and they would call me back to determine another time. Later that afternoon I got an email from the studio informing me the client was unhappy with me as the talent for this project, stating that my demo did not represent my true abilities.

I was devastated. The truth is, I believe my demo is quite an accurate representation of what I am able to do. However, given the fact that I was asked to record into a less-than-stellar microphone, I can't say I blame her. If I had been allowed to do this project from my own studio, I have no doubt the client would have been completely satisfied with what I would have delivered, and in far less time. In addition, I would have had complete control of my environment.

This experience has given me a little more diva than I had before. I will no longer settle for crappy equipment or less than perfect studio conditions. If it costs me a job, so be it. Not insisting could likely yield the same results, as I learned in this case. For my two hours' time I earned nothing except an insult and a blow to the ego.

It has taken me a little while to be able to blog this. I was too upset to even bring it up until now, but I've moved past it and am still ready to take Singapore by a storm.

Today I spent a good bit of the day on Twitter. I go through phases with this microblogging thing. Some days I may post two or three tweets. Other days it's more like 40 or 50 updates. If you're on Twitter and not following me, I'm @radiojen. If you're not on Twitter and you wonder what this whole crazy thing is about, I have selected a few tweets at random from some of the people I follow.

Travel ... reading ... having conversations with friends about my travel and about the books I'm reading ... these are things that have really broadened my horizons and helped me learn far beyond what any book or classroom could have taught me. So I may not be able to graph an inequality, but I can find Myanmar on a map and I know why Chinese men grow their pinky nail so insanely long.

Watching the latest Bachelor series got me thinking about something. Why is it we care so much which woman he picks? Why do I care which woman Jake wants to spend the rest of his life with? Does watching this show for an hour and a half once a week give me some special say into who he should marry? I'd like to think so, but it does not. Still, I know I'm not alone on this one.

I was really shocked Jake did not choose Tenley. I just knew he wouldn't pick Vienna. I mean, aside from her age and immaturity, there were so many warning signs. None of the other girls liked Vienna. She just never could say things right, and I think she was a bit too much of a princess. I can't help but feel that since he had to fight for Vienna (to convince the other girls and his parents she wasn't who they thought she was), there was some psychological advantage.

But why do I care? Why do women care that the boy gets the girl and the girl gets the boy? Hollywood has made a fortune off this very thing with movies like Serendipity, City of Angels and 13 Going on 30. We love a good chick flick, don't we ladies?

Somehow we allow ourselves to be sucked into these love stories, reality shows and even the stories our friends share with us about their own lives. We want the nice girl -- the one with the kind heart and the bright smile -- to get the boy. Not the sarcastic, mean girl who seems to be out only to serve her own needs. Yet, that seemed to happen in this case with The Bachelor. Maybe that's just real life. Real life is messy. Bad decisions are made. There are no writers to come fix things, no producers to call the shots and make things pretty, no directors to change things at the last minute so that it's a happier ending tied in a bow.

As a woman, I can honestly say there have been times when I was still dating that I absolutely chose the wrong boy. In high school, the wrong boy got the girl. But just the same, there were times I was overlooked for the "wrong girl."

Of course, I also believe that we can be our own authors, producers and directors. If we don't like the way our lives have turned out, we have the power to change things. Not just in love, but in all facets of our lives. If you don't like your job, quit complaining and find a better one. If you don't like your house, decorate it or sell it and buy a new one. If you don't like your boyfriend, dump him and get a new one. Heck, in this day and age if you don't like your nose, you can even change that.

All this doesn't explain why we care so much that Jake chose Vienna over Tenley. Or even more, why he didn't let Ali come back. That was really his biggest mistake. Again, why do I care? Why do we, as women, care?

Maybe because we were raised from little girls to believe that the prince always chooses Cinderella, and that Cinderella gets to be a princess. We're taught that the kind, sweet, pretty girl always gets the man of her dreams and they ride off on a white horse into the sunset. And when that doesn't happen, maybe it makes us question our fundamental beliefs.

Now, where's my glass slipper?

Earlier this week I found out the hole that allows food down my esophagus is a bit of a spaz. I was having issues eating last week, so I had to go to a specialist to find out what was going on. My first thought was acid reflux. I didn't have all the symptoms, but it seemed the most logical. We also thought maybe an ulcer or a hiatal hernia. Turns out it's none of those things. Just a little spaz attack of the esophagus hole thingy (not the technical name).

In order to find this out, though, I had to go in for a surgical procedure. I admit, I was a bit nervous. Anytime they make you slip on a robe that shows your butt, you know that's serious business. They wheeled me into the room where they were going to perform the operation, sprayed my throat with some numbing thing, then injected me with some sedative. Then the doctor shoved a long tube down my throat, into my esophagus then my stomach and took a little peek. When I was allowed out of the recovery room about an hour later, they showed me the video. Pretty freakin' COOL! If they'd have given me a copy, I'd upload it on YouTube so you could check it out, but all they gave me were a few pictures of my insides. I guess it's the closest I'll ever get to a sonogram, so I think I'll scan those and share them with my friends.

I truly am a princess. Seriously, I've been pampered more this weekend than I have in a very, very long time! Not only was it long overdue, but it was well-deserved. You'll just have to take my word on that!

And these cutesy little slippers? I love that the resort had them waiting for me upon my arrival. I wanted to bring them home with me, but I'm not that kind of girl.

I had a massage, body scrub and facial Saturday. Sunday I had a full-body massage and a foot reflexology massage. A-MA-zing! Seriously. Those little Thai women know how to work your muscles! It was a little bit painful laying on my back so long, though. It would have been nice to have a pillow under my knees to relieve some of the pressure from my lower back, but mostly it was really, really awesome!

This was my first trip to Thailand. We spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Malisa Resort in Phuket. The water was beautiful, the sun was shining, the people were happy and friendly and the pampering was top-notch!

Oh, and as if all those things weren't enough to make me a princess with a capital P, our own personal chef came down each morning to make us breakfast in our villa. As a princess, what more could I ask for, really?

I haven't traveled the whole world, but I have seen a lot of it. I've seen some nice airports and some pretty disastrous ones. Changi International Airport in Singapore is by far the best airport I've visited. And I'm not just saying that because I live here. This place is just amazing! Not only do they offer tons of amenities (including a swimming pool, Hard Rock Cafe and verrrry reasonably-priced massages), but the place is just gorgeous!

There are beautiful flowers and plants. The decor is really pretty, but appropriate for an airport. The furniture, the lighting, everything. It's just really a wonderful airport to visit.

On this trip, I also spent some time at the airport in Moscow, Russia. I seriously felt like I was standing in some bread line. It was very Communist feeling. The walls were grey and the floors matched. There was nothing to decorate the airport. I began to worry that every line I had to enter ended in a firing squad.

I also had a layover in Houston. You'd think in America that we'd have some darned good airports. Apparently Houston didn't get the memo. That airport sucks. That's all I'm going to say about that.

One of my favorite things about coming home is putting my tired feet into these little foot massagers for my free tootsie massage! Plus, when I go back through Immigration, the people are so much nicer than those I have to deal with in some of the other countries. Singapore has definitely done this right. When they welcome people to their country, they understand that a visitor's first impression of their country is of the airport. No wonder people love it here!

Scareorism is like terrorism, only instead of being terrorised, you're just scared. A few days ago, this man was sitting in the seat next to me on my flight from the US to Moscow and Moscow to Singapore. On the first leg of the trip I didn't think much of him. He was a little bit "ooghy," but not overly scary. It wasn't until we got to Moscow that this man scared the $#!? out of me!

While I was in line waiting to have my passport checked in Moscow, I overheard a conversation between this scareorist and a Russian airport official. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I started listening the moment I heard her say, "So you lost your passport?" He said, "No." She said, "Oh, you don't *have* a passport?" At that point I was done being checked and I had to walk through the double doors or I'd arise suspicion myself. I'm not sure how that turned out, but it sounded like I was flying next to some dude who didn't have a passport.

My question is this -- how on earth did the dude get on the airplane if he didn't have a passport? And didn't we just read about some dude from Amsterdam trying to blow up an entire airplane with his exploding underwear? I kept thinking I hope this woman gave this man an undies check.

I'm not sure how it all turned out, but the scareorist was allowed back on the airplane headed to Singapore, and lucky me, he was seated right beside me. I was ready though. I took this picture the moment we got on the airplane and I saved it to my phone with some notes in case his underwear should suddenly burst into flames or what-not.

This year Chinese New Year falls on Valentine's Day. I would imagine the Chinese (who are very superstitious) find this means anyone being married or falling in love on this day can expect a very prosperous love life.

One of my favorite parts of Chinese New Year is the Lion Dance. When I first moved here I had no idea what this was. In fact, I even called it a Dragon Dance because I thought these little guys were dragons. I later learned they are lions. Whatever. Rawr.

What is so cool is how their eyes and mouths move. You actually start to believe these costumes are real live pets! I wanted to adopt one and take it home to live with me! They remind me a lot of my (old) poodle Max. I'm not quite sure I can pinpoint how or why, but they do and I thought for sure this thing was really alive. It isn't until the two men step out of the suit that you are brought back to reality that it's just a costume with a couple of dudes.

This year is the Year of the Tiger. A little bit about the Tiger (according to the Chinese Zodiac):

The tiger is said to be lively and engaging. The tiger is also incredibly brave. Those born under this sign traditionally do not find worth in power or money. They are completely honest about how they feel and expect the same from you. Tigers are typically very well-liked.

If you were born in any of the following years, you are a Tiger: 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010.

I'm a Rat. In fact, I'm what's known as a "water Rat." What that means is I have a knack for influencing people. People born in 1912 and 1972 share this "ability." We also have strong intellectual powers and great insight. We're also great puzzle solvers. The water rat is also quick to understand others and are typically very practical. Rats apply their talents to their everyday lives, making them obliging, generous and compassionate to other people. Generally, they are liked and respected by everyone. Like all Rats, though, they can also be determined to seek their own gain and will not mind using their talents to achieve it, though generally without losing anyone's respect.

Are you surprised to know that rats make excellent writers, broadcasters, actors, advisors, counselors, lawyers, directors, entrepreneurs, musicians, stand-up comedians and designers?

You can read more about this here.

Because I am a Dog-Lover, I'll tell you a little bit about those born under the Year of the Dog (1910, 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006).

Dogs are responsible, compassionate, reliable, honest, pessimistic, anxious, overwhelming and nosy.

Metal Dogs (those born in 1970, that's those turning 40 this year) have extremely high standards and expect a lot of themselves and others. They're loyal and hold a strong outlook about the direction they want their life to take. They choose their friends and causes with care. Once they've committed themselves, there is little to no turning back. They are bold, unafraid to disagree out loud about anything they feel is unjust. Metal dogs get stressed easily if a plan doesn't go accordingly. They find it hard to relax when things are left undone.

Dogs make great nurses, interior decorators, counselors, priests, politicians, judges, clerks, police officers, psychiatrists, scientists, teachers and professors.

Dogs make good partners and most people find them easy to live and get a long with. His seriousness or grounded personality may be boring to some, but to others it demonstrates an innate stability.

If you are not a Rat or a Dog and you want to know where you fall, click here to read about all 12 signs of the Chinese horoscope.

I hate saying goodbye. I asked my friends to meet me at the Red Elephant for dinner one last time before the kids and I head back to Singapore. The turn-out was amazing. I am so completely touched by all the wonderful people I have in my life. I cannot tell you how blessed I feel to know that at any time I could call on any number of people to help me out of a pinch, and any of them would be there. Some people go through life with one or two really good friends. I don't know what I did right, but it must have been something pretty amazing to know that I have countless wonderful people in my life.

Oh, and let me say that the Red Elephant is pretty amazing. The staff is just WONDERFUL. The food is fantastic. The prices are definitely affordable. I will sing their praises to anyone who will listen.

I know it looks like I turned 344, but I'm not there quite yet. Krystal couldn't find an "8" candle, so I told her the two 4's would work. This is the delicious carrot birthday cake Krystal picked up for me for my birthday.

This year on my 38th birthday, I was on an airplane flying back to Florida from Texas. Not my favorite way to bring in my day. There was no fanfare at 12:00. Not sure what I expected, but how cool would it have been if the stewardess had looked on the manifest and noticed that the girl sitting in 36K was having a birthday. Then she'd tell the pilot, who would lead the entire plane in "Happy Birthday." A delicious cake would come down the aisle and I would get to blow out the candles (yes, they would allow fire on the airplane this ONE time for MY birthday). The other passengers would clap their hands and whistle. I'd get to share my cake with the other passengers, who would all be so grateful that they'd dig through their carry-ons for something to give me as a gift. I'd go home with new books, gum, some souvenirs from the places they've visited and a new set of golf clubs.

Who says I lost my imagination?

I spent the night at the Marriott inside Tampa International Airport. Well, since it was midnight after I checked in, it was technically not overnight. And since it was my birthday, the Marriott manager should have comped my room, but oh well.

I woke up and got my rental car. Julie Grant called me to see if I wanted to meet her at Starbucks on my way to the Azzarella's house. She bought my coffee since it was my birthday (my FIRST birthday acknowledgement!).

That evening was really nice, too. Krystal took me to Olive Garden and we had a great birthday dinner just us two gals. I really love Krystal. She is just such a sweetheart and a great friend. She is one of those people that, no matter how long we've been apart, we always pick right back up where we left off. That's such a great feeling!

There are so many things to be grateful for this year as I turn 38. First and foremost, I'm not turning 40 this year. That's what I'm most grateful for! Aside from that, I'm really happy I got to spend my birthday in Florida. I didn't have a big party or any kind of humongous celebration for my birthday, but that's okay. I was on U-S soil. (Well, for most of it anyway ... except for the part when I was in American air space, which still counts in my book!) I was in Florida. And I got to spend it with one of the most wonderful people I know, my friend Krystal. I'm grateful that I've got amazing friends and a loving family. I'm grateful for all the travel I've been able to do on this trip home. Oh, and I'm thankful I only had to blow out three candles and not 38. I'm not sure my lungs could have handled that!

Have you ever seen such a beautiful sky? Actually, this picture doesn't begin to show you the beauty of the Texas sky.

Maybe it's the vast openness that makes it so remarkable. Maybe it's the perfectly painted sky. Maybe it's all of it.

Sometimes people ask me to describe the Singapore sky. I honestly never see it. I live in a high rise surrounded by other high rises and you just never see the nighttime sky. But in Texas, it's gorgeous. Oranges and yellows and reds and even purples and blues. It's absolutely stunning! If I had to spend the rest of my life staring at that sky every night, I don't think I'd ever tire of it.

Seeing these girls again was one of the best days of my life! Sometimes you just don't know how much you miss someone until you see them again and wrap your arms around their necks. (Okay, so mostly it was around their torsos since I can't reach most of their necks.) It felt so good to see these women with whom I share so much history.

Going home was supposed to be a mini-reunion of sorts. Unfortunately I didn't get to see everyone I had hoped to see. This year is my 20 year class reunion. I missed my 10 year because my brother got married the same weekend. I didn't really think I'd be able to manage going home in July for the reunion after being home for the holidays, but after having just a small taste of these girls' friendship again, I really hope I can make that work too. I'm dying to catch up with them again and see all the people I missed on my winter trip.

Funny thing is, none of these girls has changed. My mom used to say that when I was a kid. She'd get together for her class reunion every five years and talked about how none of her friends had changed. I thought that sounded ridiculous. Of course they've changed in five years, ten years, fifteen, etc. But now I know what she means. It's been 20 years since I've been home and I recognized every one of these girls. I only wonder if I still look the same to them?

I had to laugh because my friend Kara said she always thought of me as Peppermint Patty. Not just my red hair and freckles, but she said I was kind of bossy to my little brother, whose name is Charlie, just like Charlie Brown. Moi? Bossy? I think she remembers a different person. I much prefer to think of myself as the Little Red-Haired Girl.

I made the arrangements and I'm goin' home. Well, to one of my homes. Medina, New York.

I grew up in Medina. It's where I went to first grade. And second. And third. And every grade through the first half of my sophomore year in high school. Then my parents decided they had enough of the bad economy and enough of the snow, so they put our house up for sale and one month later we were in a fully-packed truck bound for Florida.

Since 1988, I've been back to Medina just a couple of times. The last time I was home was 1989. I remember bits and pieces of that trip, some memories more vividly than others. Most of those friends I have talked to a few times on Facebook, but only in recent months. I'm hoping to see as many people as possible while I'm back there.

Tonight I talked to my old friend Lisa Payne. Well, it's not Payne anymore, but that's how I remember her. She was my best friend in elementary and middle school. We grew apart a little bit in high school since we didn't have many classes together, but she will always be one of the people I remember the most in my life. On the phone, we talked about so many things we did together as kids. My most vivid memory of Lisa was the first time she came to my house after school. I made us macaroni & cheese. She was worried my mom would be mad. She must have asked me half a dozen times if not more if I was sure my mom would not be mad that I was making us macaroni & cheese.

When I wrote the title to this blog, it dawned on me I called Medina "home." The funny thing, on this trip I have also called Baton Rouge, Louisiana "home." I did the same thing with Lakeland, FL and Ocala, FL. I also refer to Singapore as home. I guess for me, home is where my heart is, and I have left bits and pieces of my heart with my friends everywhere I have lived. But Medina was my first home and holds the biggest part of my heart. I can't wait to go home.

I admit I'm a bit of a coffee snob. But when you know what you like, you know what you like. And what do I like? A hot caramel macchiato, and now that Starbucks is using two-percent milk in all its drinks (unless you specify otherwise), I don't have to sound like a snob when I ask for it low-fat. Of course, it's not typically cold enough for me to enjoy the hot coffee beverages, so I typically order an iced grande nonfat sugar free vanilla caramel macchiato. For some reason I can drink the nonfat milk in the iced version, but in the hot version I prefer the lowfat. I know, I'm a snob, but I already told you that.

In Singapore, I actually prefer The Coffee Bean to Starbucks. Their coffee is just way smoother than Starbucks' coffee. It's made with a powder and espresso. Whatever they put in that powder makes it so smooth and every cup is like drinking a cloud!

We also have Spinelli's Coffee in Singapore, but I'm not a huge fan of their cuppa. I've been told of another place, Highland Coffee or something like that, but I have yet to check it out. Rest assured I will, though, because I hear they actually have barista classes to teach you how to make the perfect cup of coffee. HELLO?!? I am *so* there!