It has been a whirlwind of holiday parties and finishing up work projects before we enjoy Christmas break.  Just found out that I am off to Singapore for two weeks in January for work.  I love going there - the people are great, food is exceptional, it's nice and warm, and shopping is a national pasttime. This time, I hope to visit a friend of mine who lives in Malaysia for the weekend.  Last time I was in Singapore was in 2004 and it was Chinese New Year. That was a great experience - it was the year of the monkey.  Here is a picture from the inside of a shopping mall.

How cute is that?  A trip to Singapore for me is long overdue. I have some really good friends there and we are planning to go out and check out some new restaurants and wine bars.  Also, one of my friends, Edwin, is a runner. We are going to run and train too so that I can keep up my training for Irongirl Triathlon in April.  I have a training plan now that I am trying to follow to make sure I am ready for Vegas.   I'll be taking my trusty Sony GPS and camera to record the trip.

During my last trip to Singapore, my sister joined me and we decided to go to Bali for the weekend. What an experience that was!!  It was just an incredible country with tons of history and culture, gracious people (except the ladies on the beaches trying to "braid your hair"), and killer food!  Here we are watching a Balinese dance.