Celebrating our 1st anniversary with our new blog!

Mom and I at Brewski's

Joseph and I on our honeymoon in St. Martin

My step family

My brother, Bryan and my mom, Marilyn

Joseph's family

I have enjoyed all of my friends blogs some much that I decided I would start one myself. Even though we do not have any children yet, we are always keeping busy with work, our new baby cocker spaniel Lola, keeping up our new home, traveling to new places, and spending all of our extra time at the lake. We are completely obsessed with the lake actually. I really can't imagine our lives with out the fun and relaxation we find at Lake Ouachita.
I am married to my wonderful husband Joseph and we just had our first anniversary last night. (sorry so many wedding photos, but these are the best pics of all of my family)

We drove up to James at the Mill in Johnson, where Joseph took me on our first date. That date will be 6 years ago on September 7th of this year. Wow. I truly cant believe it has been that long.
But what a wild ride we have had together.
In November of 2005 Joseph and I went on the wildest ride of our lives, season 9 of the CBS television show, "The Amazing Race". It was the hardest, yet most exhilarating experience of our lives. We always joke about how we have already seen so much, everything is boring from here on out! haha.
I cant wait to share our lives with all of you who we love. And I cant wait to share in your adventures along the way!
Ciao!
Monica Meadows

Com'on everybody let's do the Conga

all images in this post by J

(+) It is free.
(-) You have to bring your own chair if you want a seat - otherwise, please just stand on the ankle-tingling grass.
(-) You may not always get a clear view of the stage, especially if the guy beside you would have no qualms about stepping up and standing right in front of you instead.
(-) It's the end of the day and not everyone has had a chance for a shower. Depending on the weather, you'll soon need another shower yourself.
(+/-) There's enough sequin passing up and down the stage to cover every inch of a truck.
(+/-) Some of the humour is fairly crude, but hey, it's funny.
(+/-) There are 13 year-old girls in small silver dresses and boots belting out Hokkien heartbreak/life's-tough songs like this year's favourite 十二蓮花... followed by middle-aged men belting out other Hokkien heartbreak/life's-tough songs.
(+/-) There're some parts of the audience present who believe that the actual, intended audience are the spirits of the dead released from hell.

Put all this together and it is hard to understand the lure of the Getai. Yet J and I would stand and watch this variety show for an hour or so. This year at the Taoist temple near our flat was especially well-received, even though the funny woman in Royston Tan's 881 seemed to have passed on the baton to a much younger and slimmer host/singer.

Not quite a Getai, Sound Stories last weekend at Zouk was just as enjoyable, sans Hokkien and sweaty men but as unsparing in the use of sequins. If nothing else, it was great just watching the white-haired crowd dance, laugh and claim their music.




The Gypsy and Rahimah Rahim at Zouk

In this way, it is not that difficult to understand what makes the Getai, Sound Stories or any live performance appealing to its audience. It is as one would enjoy a conversation with a friend, or that understanding, celebration and experience of something that is both your very own and shared with a neighbour.

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p/s "Sound Stories" should be taking place same time next year as part of the Singapore Heritage Festival. Tickets come with 1 drink. Amps recommend that you take your parents to Zouk!

Miley Cyrus Ready To Grow Up And Strip Down

Miley Cyrus is anxious to be done with childhood and move on to move “adult” things - like taking off all her clothes in a movie.

The 15-year-old Hannah Montana star is rumored to be interested in the lead role in “Undiscovered Gyrl,” the film version of Allison Burnett’s new novel.

An insider said that the controversy over her sexy Vanity Fair shoot has had the intended affect: to make Miley look older and more mature.

“I challenge you to show me a child star who really made the transition to adulthood smoothly,” says one source. “Miley doesn’t have plans to leave showbiz any time soon, and to get that big ‘grown-up’ part, she needs to start looking like a grownup. That shoot helped.”

The source says if Cyrus did take the part, you’d be seeing a lot more of Cyrus than what appeared in the Vanity Fair photos.

“There would definitely be nude scenes,” says the source.