Decisions, Decisions...

Let me start off by saying, if you guys could all move here, it would be incredible!! I'm starting to understand why people like it so much...


Joe and I spent Saturday looking at places to live and our realtor gave us a better glimpse into Singapore. We went into this thinking we wanted a "landed house" which is basically a townhouse in our standards. While these are great in the sense they give you lots of space, they are much older with old appliances usually and most do not offer common areas with a pool, gym, etc. Therefore, we are leaning heavily towards a condo.

The condos here all have private entrances so the elevators (or lifts as they say here) go directly to your front door and you must have a card to gain access. With the condo, you have all the amenities that you need and it also gives you an opportunity to meet other families. We have found that most of these complexes are full of expats and families and most do commune near the pools and BBQ areas. Additionally, the majority of the condos are NEW and have good appliances which is kind of a big deal to me since we enjoy cooking.

One of the areas that we were shown is called Sentosa Cove. It is a small island off of the big island and it is BEAUTIFUL. This is where all the big attractions are located. They have amusement rides, casinos and nature parks. All of this is located on one side of the island and the other side is residential. It is an up and coming area so at this time, there are not a ton of residents however they are moving in quickly. We are pretty much sold on this area and are planning on going back to look at a few more condos. They are a little smaller however your balconies overlook the ocean or marina and you would feel like you are on vacation everyday. We are looking at a 3 or 4 bedroom plus the helper quarters. To give you an idea, the houses here start at around 15 million. Not sure what those people do for a living! Below are a couple of shots of the views from the condos. Nice, huh?

In comparison, city living would give you view of the business parks. Sentosa is only about a 5 - 10 minute ride into town. Coming from Houston, big whoop! Everyone tells you how nice it is to be walking distance to the malls and such but with twins and the prices at the malls, I don't foresee myself heading out shopping all that much. I see Joe and I taking the babies for walks along the beach (there is a pathway that goes right along the waterfront), bike rides and sitting out at the BBQ pits with the other families sharing martinis. Seems to be more our lifestyle than being in the hustle and bustle of the city. You'll have to comment and give me your opinion. By the way, there is a private bus in the area that takes you directly to a shopping area for last minute essentials. Other than that, most people who don't have cars order their groceries online and they are delivered directly to you. NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE!

One of the other luxuries we are looking into is a "helper". Most of the helpers live with you which was giving us a weird feeling, but after speaking with a lot of other people, this is actually the norm. They help with cleaning, cooking and taking care of the children. For all you parents out there paying for daycare, a helper here costs about $500 a month, working 6 days a week. Is there any question on if you should have one?!

All of the housing has a helpers quarters which is no bigger than a walk in closet and is basically a bomb shelter without windows. I was having a VERY hard time imagining someone having to sleep and live in a closet with nothing more than a cot and a fan but it has been explained to me that this is truly a luxury for them. They come from very poor upbringings where most have a bucket to sit on for a chair and bathrooms are more or less non-existent (they do get a private bath in the condo). Here is a picture althought not a good one. I'm standing in the entrance taking the picture if that gives any frame of reference.

I have a couple of good leads from families moving back to the states so I will be interviewing a couple of helpers that could start in June. This would give me a chance to acclimate and set up expectations before the girls get here. Wish me luck!

I am heading out this week to look at a few more places and hopefully make a final decision. It looks like we will be able to move in at the beginning of May which is great since our stuff should arrive around the 11th. I'll update later on our final decision!

So have I convinced anyone to move here???!!! COME ON AND LIVE ON THE ISLAND WITH US!!