Thanksgiving at the Ray-Yeh - one of the most memorable evenings of one-liners EVER...

Team Taylor Deportation/Repatriation Countdown

Days left in Singapore:  26

Days left until arrival in the Queen City:  33

Family,

And a good Sunday morning to you from across the globe after another GREAT DAY in the Lion City.  The Bull is living the bachelor life once again, as Liz and David had a 5 AM wake-up call for a 6 AM taxi en route to catching their morning flight to Beijing.  Guys, we had an absolute BLAST - thanks so much for making the trip over and chillin' at casa de Taylor.  L-B-C was in the house - throw it up, throw it up!!!!!

The hostess with the mostess - Nancy serves up the 14 pound
bird, which was sooooooooooo guuuuuuud...peppy cheekies.

Last night the Bull and his guests rolled over to the East coast of Singapore at the invite of Nancy and John.  They were hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner (which, let me confirm, is NO SMALL FEAT when you see the size of kitchens in Singapore), and they'd graciously invited me and my peeps to dinner.  We showed up about 6:20, and by 6:25 I was meeting some of John's colleagues whilst gravitating to the most appropriate appetizer once can have on this festive day - a bottle of Corona.  But that was just the tip of the iceberg, as these two had thought of EVERYTHING.

For starters, their house is AWESOME.  The 63" telly made me green with envy (but don't worry, Muffin - I'm not going to buy one for our house), and the whole place was just fantastic - a nice balcony, plenty of space, and even separate washer/dryer units!  I almost wept when I saw that!  But back to the most important part - the food.  Nancy had been worried about how it would all turn out, so let me proclaim it for the masses - IT TURNED OUT FANTASTIC. 

Seriously - tell me you're NOT jealous...AMAZING meal.  And
the best part was when, after most folks looked WHIPPED from
the effort, Nancy announced, "We've got back-up side dishes if
folks are still hungry." You could have heard a pin drop...

I was just about ready to burst and throw in the towel when
John said, "Now there are some turkey legs in there if anyone
wants dark meat."  It took me exactly 3 seconds to claim one.

Picture HEAPS of green bean casserole, au gratin potatoes, chicken fried rice, spinach casserole, roles, about 3 other casseroles that I just can't think of, 3 different types of cakes, cookies, AND ONE OF THE BEST TURKEYS EVER.  Perfectly cooked, expertly moist - it was like butter, baby.  And believe me, I gave each dish a rigorous inspection.  In fact, I went back to the line FIVE TIMES before I approached "Peddlar" status and had to sit immobile for about 20 minutes.  What can I say?You can move Taylor 11,000 miles away from his rightful seat on 102 Richardson Drive, but you can't breed the appetite out of him during the 4th week of November every year.
And as for the conversation with new friends and old, it was HILARIOUS.  Seriously, some of the best one-liners EVER came out of our dinner table conversations.  Here were the six that I happened to remember:
1.  When describing a business scenario where a manager was trying to make the best of a bad situation:  "I can only pee with the dick I have..."
2.  Someone trying to describe the frustration of adjusting to life in the Singapore office after living in London:  "I think I'm just going to storm into the office and use the c-word..."
3.  A little 4 year old at the party watching me get my FOURTH helping:  "Wow - you're gonna be really fat sooner or later."
4.  Me responding to Liz when telling me I needed dessert after 5 helpings:  "Do you want me to vomit on you?  Because I can."
5.  Comment about why a guy didn't use a realtor he'd used previously:  "Well, you could blame it on her lack of response to my calls, but the truth is she's just an absolute bitch."
6. About a decision at a pilates studio:  "Well, I just couldn't hire him.  It would NEVER work with my clients.  After all - he's straight."

The evening whizzed by, and by 10:15 PM, it was time to shuffle off, as we had about an hour commute back to the condo.  Liz, David, and I said our goodbyes last night, and the house was empty when I woke up this morning.  But now it's back out and about for this guy, as it's time to watch the Dragon Boat Racing finals!

Nancy and John - thank you guys SO MUCH for having us over.  The food was terrific, and the evening was just perfect.  It was a really nice slice of Americana here in the tropics.  I can't tell you how much it meant to have a home cooked meal with some fellow Americans.

Two last bits to cover:  Welcome, Chris Taylor, as follower #25!  For those of you that don't know Chris, he's my cousin from back in Tennessee.  I am proud to report that Morristown and Whitesburg are now officially represented in the followership category.  Good stuff.

Lastly - CONGRATS TO ANDREW AND JENNIFER!!!!!!!!!!  SO excited for you guys - GREAT NEWS!!!!!!

Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print.  Chat tomorrow (or maybe even later today)!

Love,

Sam and (already finished with her Coogee swim and now most likely doing the Coogee to Bondi walk because she is an ultra-fit ANIMAL...and really, really hot) Jenny