Im very happy here.
I decided this at 3:15 in the morning local time after having a midnight shower.
One of the amazing storms was lashing all around the building and rain was billowing in, but it was still warm. I stood over the balcony and looked out.
On another balcony on the other side of campus i saw a girl like me, standing and watching on the way to or from some where just in a towel as well.
I think we both stared at each other a bit and then she waved.
I waved back and then we both walked away.
I have always liked nighttime but here it feels different. More suited to me.
I think i might be falling in love with the place.
Little moments like this make life worth living.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Swine!
Oh god i have/had swine flu.
thats why i have been able to do updates these past few days.
So ill i couldnt go into uni so had no choice but update or go insane.
Crawled to the doctors today and they said that i had swine, but have crossed into recovery now.
so yay?
Swine free in a few days i hope.
*cough*
thats why i have been able to do updates these past few days.
So ill i couldnt go into uni so had no choice but update or go insane.
Crawled to the doctors today and they said that i had swine, but have crossed into recovery now.
so yay?
Swine free in a few days i hope.
*cough*
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Second Wind
Well first of many updates.
Ill try to bring you all up to speed, but instead of long entries like previous as I have over a million days to cover it will probably be a brief synopsis instead of the event by event doohicky I got going on prior.
Also there will not be many photos, I don’t have a camera – I had to give it back to Ben so any I show on here I will have lifted from FB till I get my own camera.
Wonderful?
Yes. Wonderful.
Saturday I went for dinner with Father and a friend of his who has been an expat from Britain for 15 or so years here. Moved to Singapore and even got married. As im here for a year its probably a good thing to know someone.
Had a really good evening actually and tried all the local specialities in a local food court, very different from the touristy ones in terms of food offered and prices.
Especially prices, a Chilli crab (one of the specialities here) which would have cost $70 at Boat Quay even with “special discount for you” cost $40 here. Its fucking delicious.
So yeah, had a meal and met some of Wills friends (the expat) and got on quite well with them. All businessmen who have set out on their own. Kind of the intrepid men I thought died out in the 30’s – you know, the whole great pioneer thing.
After that we went to a Bar and Will stuffed me with G&T. Very kind of him but probably super expensive. I didn’t ask him to once in my defence. He is a very cool laid back gym and his wife is also wonderful.
I don’t think actually I’ve ever seen a more perfect couple. That’s how I would like to be I think if I eventually ever get married. But yeah that was my Saturday. Taxi home drunk with Brother and Father around 4. Will made me promise to call him and his friends gave me their email addresses. I still haven’t used them. I must do that.
Sunday, Bloody Sunday.
Actually it was Sunday, sunny Sunday.
Woke up late and had to PELT it from the hotel to the subway to get back to halls in time for the group trip of the day.
We went to Sentosa, a small island off the mainland which has been artificially created and turned into a beach. Met a lot of nice new people and some who aren’t so nice. It seems that people are either really open to new friends or will only talk to those of their own nationality. Im looking at you here the Irish and the Germans. Buck your ideas up. One Irish guy actually turned away and resumed talking to his group of Irish friends when I stuck out my hand to shake.
Maybe its just me he took offence to but seriously in my mind if you come on exchange you do it to meet new people from new places, not to spend time with people just from your uni?
Anyway had a Hotdog with some guys around 2 which was horrible. No pork really as the country has a much higher muslim population then the UK so its mainly chicken. Yummy for mechanically reclaimed chicken meat. However it killed the hunger pains and I DO love the Chilli ketchup here (they don’t have normal tomato)
Oh the beach is strange, while beautiful the country makes a lot of its income from shipping. In the video you should be able to see about 100 tankers just offshore. Very surreal. The water as well is a little oily no doubt due to the floating armada just offshore. Still a lovely place though. Made some new friends as I discussed. I seem to get on well with north Europeans such as the Norwegians and the Danes. Nice guys.
If of course you can ignore the whole rape and pillage thing of British shores for hundreds of years. Which being a forward thinking individual I can.
Anyway came back eventually tired, happy and sunburnt. After dinner in the mass food court we all went to a party off halls at Commonwealth campus – a hall that as its off uni property is unregulated by its rules ie: no drinking.
That was really nice actually, a massive gathering of people all talking and being friendly. It hit home though how much the English drink, me and the other British guy Killian sank a 6 pack each in about 2 hours which is pretty slow going. Most people were still on 1 or 2 cans. That’s binge Britain for you I guess.
Anyway Katie Maddocks by later to say hi came by as she lives in that hall and had a fine time talking with her and the others. She is a much nicer person to know then I first thought she would be in uni. We always up until this point had a cold relationship, as in we knew of each other and that was both about as far as the other wanted.
Ill try to bring you all up to speed, but instead of long entries like previous as I have over a million days to cover it will probably be a brief synopsis instead of the event by event doohicky I got going on prior.
Also there will not be many photos, I don’t have a camera – I had to give it back to Ben so any I show on here I will have lifted from FB till I get my own camera.
Wonderful?
Yes. Wonderful.
Saturday I went for dinner with Father and a friend of his who has been an expat from Britain for 15 or so years here. Moved to Singapore and even got married. As im here for a year its probably a good thing to know someone.
Had a really good evening actually and tried all the local specialities in a local food court, very different from the touristy ones in terms of food offered and prices.
Especially prices, a Chilli crab (one of the specialities here) which would have cost $70 at Boat Quay even with “special discount for you” cost $40 here. Its fucking delicious.
So yeah, had a meal and met some of Wills friends (the expat) and got on quite well with them. All businessmen who have set out on their own. Kind of the intrepid men I thought died out in the 30’s – you know, the whole great pioneer thing.
After that we went to a Bar and Will stuffed me with G&T. Very kind of him but probably super expensive. I didn’t ask him to once in my defence. He is a very cool laid back gym and his wife is also wonderful.
I don’t think actually I’ve ever seen a more perfect couple. That’s how I would like to be I think if I eventually ever get married. But yeah that was my Saturday. Taxi home drunk with Brother and Father around 4. Will made me promise to call him and his friends gave me their email addresses. I still haven’t used them. I must do that.
Sunday, Bloody Sunday.
Actually it was Sunday, sunny Sunday.
Woke up late and had to PELT it from the hotel to the subway to get back to halls in time for the group trip of the day.
We went to Sentosa, a small island off the mainland which has been artificially created and turned into a beach. Met a lot of nice new people and some who aren’t so nice. It seems that people are either really open to new friends or will only talk to those of their own nationality. Im looking at you here the Irish and the Germans. Buck your ideas up. One Irish guy actually turned away and resumed talking to his group of Irish friends when I stuck out my hand to shake.
Maybe its just me he took offence to but seriously in my mind if you come on exchange you do it to meet new people from new places, not to spend time with people just from your uni?
Anyway had a Hotdog with some guys around 2 which was horrible. No pork really as the country has a much higher muslim population then the UK so its mainly chicken. Yummy for mechanically reclaimed chicken meat. However it killed the hunger pains and I DO love the Chilli ketchup here (they don’t have normal tomato)
Oh the beach is strange, while beautiful the country makes a lot of its income from shipping. In the video you should be able to see about 100 tankers just offshore. Very surreal. The water as well is a little oily no doubt due to the floating armada just offshore. Still a lovely place though. Made some new friends as I discussed. I seem to get on well with north Europeans such as the Norwegians and the Danes. Nice guys.
If of course you can ignore the whole rape and pillage thing of British shores for hundreds of years. Which being a forward thinking individual I can.
Anyway came back eventually tired, happy and sunburnt. After dinner in the mass food court we all went to a party off halls at Commonwealth campus – a hall that as its off uni property is unregulated by its rules ie: no drinking.
That was really nice actually, a massive gathering of people all talking and being friendly. It hit home though how much the English drink, me and the other British guy Killian sank a 6 pack each in about 2 hours which is pretty slow going. Most people were still on 1 or 2 cans. That’s binge Britain for you I guess.
Anyway Katie Maddocks by later to say hi came by as she lives in that hall and had a fine time talking with her and the others. She is a much nicer person to know then I first thought she would be in uni. We always up until this point had a cold relationship, as in we knew of each other and that was both about as far as the other wanted.
Anyway she left after an hour or so much better friends with me then we were before and I spend the rest of the evening teaching people how to swear in English. The basic concept I think is to string as many as you can. However there are certain rules. One swear can be friendly ie: “oh, go fuck yourself”
That can be said in a friendly manner.
However “go fuck yourself you ugly shiteating motherfucker” is never friendly.
It took more time then I though to get that simple concept home.
Took a taxi back with the others around 4. Drunk and happy asleep by 5.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Oops
Did i say updates by the end of the week?
oh my that was ambitious.
I probably meant this month.
Hang on, updates are coming
x
oh my that was ambitious.
I probably meant this month.
Hang on, updates are coming
x
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Friday 31st July
Friday 31st July
A good long update today.
No photos this time though as I had to give the camera back to my Dad. Ill try to get my own as soon as I have some free capital .
Moving in Day, or at least partially.
I had to give Dad a promise that I would leave most of my stuff here as an insurance that I would come back and see them. Actually thinking about it, it was quite a moving thing.
I mean he wouldn’t say it (what self respecting man would?) but I guess from the way he went about his day it was clear that he was already missing me before I had left.
In fact he insisted on walking all the way out of the hotel to the 100 or so meters to the station.
I will miss my family more then I thought I would.
Anyway, I left. As I had to do eventually.
I was fairly confident about where I was going. Looking at both my crappy map from England and the map the concierge at the hotel gave me it was pretty clear where the one university on the island was marked. So I took off on the MRT which is the tube system here.
Eventually I arrived at the station build into the University. Which was a good thing to because it was midday by this point? The absolute heat of the day. After about 10 minutes of wandering around though I cant find any signs for my accommodation, nor either any signs for the department I need to register with.
Turns out in the end I had wandered into the wrong university. Why it was the only one on both maps I will never know. I then asked for directions to my Uni.
The guard was friendly enough, but told me that he had no idea. So I went to ask the train staff. They suggested I get an MRT to a deeper part of the island because “it was probably around there”.
Having nowhere else to go I did. It turned out to be right and the uni was only a bus ride away. Handily you can use your ez-link card to pay for busses as well. It’s a general all round wonder card really. Eventually arrived at campus and began the long walk there.
Had to stop twice due to the weight of my bags (not even half my stuff) and the oppressive heat. After 40 minutes of walking I eventually arrived, exhausted.
At this point I was informed if I had just waited the uni hopper bus would have picked me up and driven me straight here.
Handy to know maybe an hour ago before I had totally sweated through my shirt. No lie. It had actually changed colour.
I was so tied that I don’t really remember registration for halls. I just signed anything they put in front of me and agreed to everything. So that’s how I got my room.
EDIT: You can look around it on a video from the post below, which pretty much renders this post redundant and describes the surrounding much better then I do here.
First impressions were the size of the room. Its very small. And has no aircon. So naturally is baking. Must be about 30c at nearly all times.
Around campus there is a mini-mart that has everything in it. With prices that are quite reasonable for the area (say $1 or so). You can get shampoo, sheets, laundry detergent, batteries, toilet bowl cleaner, CDs, frozen food, and much more. Handy to have really if you don’t mind queuing for ages. Ah! They also have pocky for $1 a pack. I have got through about six boxes so far. Gotta love it.
A big difference here to uni at home was that I was not issued a key but rather an electronic transponder, which I have to use to unlock everything (lift, doors etc) On halls there are a series of canteens – called food courts here. These canteens have Indian, Malaysian, Chinese, North Indian, and even Western food, (western food entails fish and chips, hamburgers, steaks) the shop rather conservatively being called “foreigner food”.
I will try not to eat at the Western kiosk I am in another country, perhaps the place I want to live in later life so why not eat the local food? When in Rome kind of thing. Common style of eating out here is with fork and spoon, and Chinese dishes are served with a pair of wooden chopsticks which must be broken apart and rubbed together to remove the wood splinters. The fork is held in the left hand and is used to shovel food onto the spoon that is held in the right hand.
Anyway to continue narration, after unpacking and collapsing on the bed I got round to plugging Lovejoy the laptop into the interweb and was able to send you all my first set of updates. Noone else living in my flat and being unable to enter any other flats due to my transponder I wandered around a little like a lost sheep. When I came back to my room I had a fb message from Keng who had moved in a while ago and wondered what I was up to.
I arranged to meet her at her halls and then went to ikea together where I got my bedding and so on. Met some of her friends as well and had a brewski or two outside her halls. Very social.
I should point out here that in this country you are allowed to drink in public even to the point of drunkenness. In fact most people drink on the street. If however you commit a crime, under the influence or not there will be a lot of trouble for you.
Just obey and respect the law here and you will be fine. Straight away a big difference to the UK!
By the time I got back I had a flatmate from Italy. He is very friendly and I think we will get on well. Nothing really going on here we decided to go to a freshers fair they were having on campus. Kind of wish I hadn’t really. It was a bit of a culture shock.
No drinking, smoking or having opposite sex in your room is allowed on campus. I will find out I guess if these are strictly enforced rules or not, if not through my own adventures then through the activities of my new friends. But yes, I got a gift bag for attending containing:
Caffeine tablets
Coffee sachets
Stress Ball
Chicken snacks
Contact lenses solution.
No doubt the solution will come in handy but the rest is such a shock. At Freshers back home we were given Condoms and Beer and pretty much told to get on with it. The freshers party as well was different to what I would expect – it was a large series of maths based games around the hall.
Me and Eital’s eyebrows couldn’t have climbed any higher up our faces and we soon left reeling in a combination of shock and horror. I had promised my Dad I would come back to the hotel so left about 9 to get there.
Arrived at 11:30 because I didn’t know the route properly and bus routes look different in the dark. Boo.
So hungry by this point so I went with Brother to get a McDonalds from the 24hour near the Hotel.
Whilst I was there I noticed a sign asking students to refrain from working inside the restaurant after 8pm. That was a bit of a shock for me. The entire culture is based on doing your best and working hard, something we lack a little back home.
I had an uneasy night, unsure if I could make it in this new driven world.
EDIT: sorry im so far behind in my updates, im really busy at the moment but will keep typing whenever i can. I should be up to date by the end of this week. J'espere
x
A good long update today.
No photos this time though as I had to give the camera back to my Dad. Ill try to get my own as soon as I have some free capital .
Moving in Day, or at least partially.
I had to give Dad a promise that I would leave most of my stuff here as an insurance that I would come back and see them. Actually thinking about it, it was quite a moving thing.
I mean he wouldn’t say it (what self respecting man would?) but I guess from the way he went about his day it was clear that he was already missing me before I had left.
In fact he insisted on walking all the way out of the hotel to the 100 or so meters to the station.
I will miss my family more then I thought I would.
Anyway, I left. As I had to do eventually.
I was fairly confident about where I was going. Looking at both my crappy map from England and the map the concierge at the hotel gave me it was pretty clear where the one university on the island was marked. So I took off on the MRT which is the tube system here.
Eventually I arrived at the station build into the University. Which was a good thing to because it was midday by this point? The absolute heat of the day. After about 10 minutes of wandering around though I cant find any signs for my accommodation, nor either any signs for the department I need to register with.
Turns out in the end I had wandered into the wrong university. Why it was the only one on both maps I will never know. I then asked for directions to my Uni.
The guard was friendly enough, but told me that he had no idea. So I went to ask the train staff. They suggested I get an MRT to a deeper part of the island because “it was probably around there”.
Having nowhere else to go I did. It turned out to be right and the uni was only a bus ride away. Handily you can use your ez-link card to pay for busses as well. It’s a general all round wonder card really. Eventually arrived at campus and began the long walk there.
Had to stop twice due to the weight of my bags (not even half my stuff) and the oppressive heat. After 40 minutes of walking I eventually arrived, exhausted.
At this point I was informed if I had just waited the uni hopper bus would have picked me up and driven me straight here.
Handy to know maybe an hour ago before I had totally sweated through my shirt. No lie. It had actually changed colour.
I was so tied that I don’t really remember registration for halls. I just signed anything they put in front of me and agreed to everything. So that’s how I got my room.
EDIT: You can look around it on a video from the post below, which pretty much renders this post redundant and describes the surrounding much better then I do here.
First impressions were the size of the room. Its very small. And has no aircon. So naturally is baking. Must be about 30c at nearly all times.
Around campus there is a mini-mart that has everything in it. With prices that are quite reasonable for the area (say $1 or so). You can get shampoo, sheets, laundry detergent, batteries, toilet bowl cleaner, CDs, frozen food, and much more. Handy to have really if you don’t mind queuing for ages. Ah! They also have pocky for $1 a pack. I have got through about six boxes so far. Gotta love it.
A big difference here to uni at home was that I was not issued a key but rather an electronic transponder, which I have to use to unlock everything (lift, doors etc) On halls there are a series of canteens – called food courts here. These canteens have Indian, Malaysian, Chinese, North Indian, and even Western food, (western food entails fish and chips, hamburgers, steaks) the shop rather conservatively being called “foreigner food”.
I will try not to eat at the Western kiosk I am in another country, perhaps the place I want to live in later life so why not eat the local food? When in Rome kind of thing. Common style of eating out here is with fork and spoon, and Chinese dishes are served with a pair of wooden chopsticks which must be broken apart and rubbed together to remove the wood splinters. The fork is held in the left hand and is used to shovel food onto the spoon that is held in the right hand.
Anyway to continue narration, after unpacking and collapsing on the bed I got round to plugging Lovejoy the laptop into the interweb and was able to send you all my first set of updates. Noone else living in my flat and being unable to enter any other flats due to my transponder I wandered around a little like a lost sheep. When I came back to my room I had a fb message from Keng who had moved in a while ago and wondered what I was up to.
I arranged to meet her at her halls and then went to ikea together where I got my bedding and so on. Met some of her friends as well and had a brewski or two outside her halls. Very social.
I should point out here that in this country you are allowed to drink in public even to the point of drunkenness. In fact most people drink on the street. If however you commit a crime, under the influence or not there will be a lot of trouble for you.
Just obey and respect the law here and you will be fine. Straight away a big difference to the UK!
By the time I got back I had a flatmate from Italy. He is very friendly and I think we will get on well. Nothing really going on here we decided to go to a freshers fair they were having on campus. Kind of wish I hadn’t really. It was a bit of a culture shock.
No drinking, smoking or having opposite sex in your room is allowed on campus. I will find out I guess if these are strictly enforced rules or not, if not through my own adventures then through the activities of my new friends. But yes, I got a gift bag for attending containing:
Caffeine tablets
Coffee sachets
Stress Ball
Chicken snacks
Contact lenses solution.
No doubt the solution will come in handy but the rest is such a shock. At Freshers back home we were given Condoms and Beer and pretty much told to get on with it. The freshers party as well was different to what I would expect – it was a large series of maths based games around the hall.
Me and Eital’s eyebrows couldn’t have climbed any higher up our faces and we soon left reeling in a combination of shock and horror. I had promised my Dad I would come back to the hotel so left about 9 to get there.
Arrived at 11:30 because I didn’t know the route properly and bus routes look different in the dark. Boo.
So hungry by this point so I went with Brother to get a McDonalds from the 24hour near the Hotel.
Whilst I was there I noticed a sign asking students to refrain from working inside the restaurant after 8pm. That was a bit of a shock for me. The entire culture is based on doing your best and working hard, something we lack a little back home.
I had an uneasy night, unsure if I could make it in this new driven world.
EDIT: sorry im so far behind in my updates, im really busy at the moment but will keep typing whenever i can. I should be up to date by the end of this week. J'espere
x
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Halls
I have writers block so here is a brief video about halls to keep you going while i type up my adventures.
Look where i live!
Look where i live!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
3rd Day
Thursday 30th July
8:17 update
Still no internet access, still no phone.
Should be moving into my uni housing tomorrow but I still have no idea where that is. It should be an adventure. Ill have to sort it today I guess.
Got up at 6:00 due to jetlag or excitement, one or the other and went for a swim. Came back at 7:30 knackered and ready for something to eat. However the rest of my family are still asleep, so I decided to take the opportunity to write my first 3 entries.
Nothing else I can really do as having tried to wake them up was greeting with a cheerful “fuck off. Do you know what time it is?”
Finished writing so far and still starving. Ill wait for 10 minutes or so before trying to wake them up again and then go make friends with the pancake lady.
23:11 update
Later in the afternoon made some phone calls and arranged to move in tomorrow, forgot to ask the address. Whoops. Ill have to call again tomorrow morning. A fairly productive day after all, picked up an Ez-link card for the tube which is basically the same as an oyster card.
After that little success went travelling to orchard street and had a wander. Took a taste of what I regard as true asia – the hawkers markets.
I had been a little worried that I had committed to stay in a country totally out of my depth and price range, with all the shops around the hotel area flashing genuine Rolex and Louis Vutton gear. This was more like the Asia I had always seen in places like Vietnam or Malaysia.
Had a funny haggle match with a phone salesman. I have discovered I have an almost perfect technique for haggles. Simply ask the price and raise an eyebrow and keep it raised without saying anything. The phone I was looking at went from $180 to $120 and then to $100 in about 30 seconds. Had a look around and then bought the same model from another hawker for $69.
Felt very pleased with myself till I left the market and noticed that the local 7-11 sold the same phone for $60 (slightly less then £30).
Lesson learnt I guess.
After that I had the phone and then had to hunt down a phone card. Considering the amount of phone shops this proved to be harder then I thought. Everyone is willing to sell you a phone or a top up but never an actual Sim.
Eventually I found the one place probably in the whole country that sells them.
Worrying fact: In order for a card to be issued a scan must be taken of your passport so that all calls and texts sent under that number can be traced directly back to you.
It’s the law here and standard practice but I couldn’t help but wince a little as I felt the civil liberties I had always enjoyed in Britain just slide away. On the flip side though the crime rate here is almost non-existence so its pretty clear that it works as its intended. Oh and by the way, Texts are 5c (about 2p) each! Calls however are at 16c and charge both the caller and called per minute.
No guesses about which method of communication the government are trying to encourage there. Also couldn’t find a number anywhere on the sim card and forgot to ask the salesman where I would find it. Took about half an hour punching in random numbers on the box into the hotel phone until I worked it out.
My observations from town
Hats here are not to be worn on the head. That is a high fashion crime. Its cool to have them sort of rest on top of you like you have a malformed skull. Apparently. Seriously, just pull them down guys. Actually the more I think about it the more its bugging me.
Durian fruit makes me sick. It’s a huge ball, about the size and shape of a football and just as tasty. If that wasn’t bad enough its covered in vicious spikes and armoured like fort Knox. Its almost like it was designed not to be eaten. People seem to love a challenge though and continue to ignore Natures better judgement.
As a final warning to the very hungry or very stupid it is a fruit that you can smell long before you see it. A long time before. Its not a scent that can really be described as anything but powerful.
It has a rather nasty effect on me. Just the smell of it reminds me of what happened in Vietnam - I had worked myself up to take a spoonful of the foul smelling stuff over there. However before the spoon even touched my tongue the stench of the thing caused me to throw up in my mouth. Very embarrassing. Needless to say it seems to be a favourite fruit of the locals here as well. I have to avoid those areas where you can smell it like the plague or wave after wave of nausea hits me.
People go out in groups in the same colours here. I don’t just mean a small group. Im talking groups of 30 or 40 all wearing the same orange or green tee. Pretty surreal. I think it may be some sort of uniform but in two days I have seen so many groups of people all wearing the same thing that I don’t there can be that many teams. Have a look.
8:17 update
Still no internet access, still no phone.
Should be moving into my uni housing tomorrow but I still have no idea where that is. It should be an adventure. Ill have to sort it today I guess.
Got up at 6:00 due to jetlag or excitement, one or the other and went for a swim. Came back at 7:30 knackered and ready for something to eat. However the rest of my family are still asleep, so I decided to take the opportunity to write my first 3 entries.
Nothing else I can really do as having tried to wake them up was greeting with a cheerful “fuck off. Do you know what time it is?”
Finished writing so far and still starving. Ill wait for 10 minutes or so before trying to wake them up again and then go make friends with the pancake lady.
23:11 update
Later in the afternoon made some phone calls and arranged to move in tomorrow, forgot to ask the address. Whoops. Ill have to call again tomorrow morning. A fairly productive day after all, picked up an Ez-link card for the tube which is basically the same as an oyster card.
After that little success went travelling to orchard street and had a wander. Took a taste of what I regard as true asia – the hawkers markets.
I had been a little worried that I had committed to stay in a country totally out of my depth and price range, with all the shops around the hotel area flashing genuine Rolex and Louis Vutton gear. This was more like the Asia I had always seen in places like Vietnam or Malaysia.
Had a funny haggle match with a phone salesman. I have discovered I have an almost perfect technique for haggles. Simply ask the price and raise an eyebrow and keep it raised without saying anything. The phone I was looking at went from $180 to $120 and then to $100 in about 30 seconds. Had a look around and then bought the same model from another hawker for $69.
Felt very pleased with myself till I left the market and noticed that the local 7-11 sold the same phone for $60 (slightly less then £30).
Lesson learnt I guess.
After that I had the phone and then had to hunt down a phone card. Considering the amount of phone shops this proved to be harder then I thought. Everyone is willing to sell you a phone or a top up but never an actual Sim.
Eventually I found the one place probably in the whole country that sells them.
Worrying fact: In order for a card to be issued a scan must be taken of your passport so that all calls and texts sent under that number can be traced directly back to you.
It’s the law here and standard practice but I couldn’t help but wince a little as I felt the civil liberties I had always enjoyed in Britain just slide away. On the flip side though the crime rate here is almost non-existence so its pretty clear that it works as its intended. Oh and by the way, Texts are 5c (about 2p) each! Calls however are at 16c and charge both the caller and called per minute.
No guesses about which method of communication the government are trying to encourage there. Also couldn’t find a number anywhere on the sim card and forgot to ask the salesman where I would find it. Took about half an hour punching in random numbers on the box into the hotel phone until I worked it out.
My observations from town
Hats here are not to be worn on the head. That is a high fashion crime. Its cool to have them sort of rest on top of you like you have a malformed skull. Apparently. Seriously, just pull them down guys. Actually the more I think about it the more its bugging me.
Durian fruit makes me sick. It’s a huge ball, about the size and shape of a football and just as tasty. If that wasn’t bad enough its covered in vicious spikes and armoured like fort Knox. Its almost like it was designed not to be eaten. People seem to love a challenge though and continue to ignore Natures better judgement.
As a final warning to the very hungry or very stupid it is a fruit that you can smell long before you see it. A long time before. Its not a scent that can really be described as anything but powerful.
It has a rather nasty effect on me. Just the smell of it reminds me of what happened in Vietnam - I had worked myself up to take a spoonful of the foul smelling stuff over there. However before the spoon even touched my tongue the stench of the thing caused me to throw up in my mouth. Very embarrassing. Needless to say it seems to be a favourite fruit of the locals here as well. I have to avoid those areas where you can smell it like the plague or wave after wave of nausea hits me.
People go out in groups in the same colours here. I don’t just mean a small group. Im talking groups of 30 or 40 all wearing the same orange or green tee. Pretty surreal. I think it may be some sort of uniform but in two days I have seen so many groups of people all wearing the same thing that I don’t there can be that many teams. Have a look.
The smell of the City hall stations sushi stop also makes me throw up in my mouth. Brother too. We both smelt it midway down the subway and then simultaneously without looking pelted it full steam for the exit holding our breath. Dad of course was fine. Perhaps the fine sense of smell both his sons inherited from him is starting to fade.
The city is beautiful.
The local news paper (which is free, daily and is the size of a weekend broadsheet back home) had an article in its health section on advocating withdrawal as an effective method of birth control. It claims that only 4% of those who withdraw become pregnant. That’s great news until you consider that of those 4% clearly none of them wanted a baby. If they did they wouldn’t withdraw at all. N’est pas? That is the first thing here I have seen that I consider backward thinking to the UK and struck me as out of place considering the rest of the country seems to enlightened.
The people are very kind and helpful.
Everyone stares at you, but pretends not to. Caught a lot of people looking, either outright staring or throwing you a curious long look as they pass. Stare back though and people seem to do anything to avoid meeting eye contact. I guess the sparkly earrings I have don’t exactly help.
Something I think is lost in translation here. Not once have I ever thought of a multibox of tampons as a “Super Fun pack”. Maybe I have a different sense of fun to the people here. In my mind however its not something I would want to play with myself.
On the way back the air was filled with singing and music. The country is getting ready to celebrate its Independence anniversary. It’s something to hear. I’ll try and get my Video camera on it tomorrow for your aural pleasure.
Later went out for Dinner at Boat Quay.
EDIT: Here is a photo of the national symbol of singapore that i took that night.
Its called the merlion and guards the entrance to the docks. almost cute no?
It’s a long narrow strip near the docks full of restaurants crammed together. Walking nearby is like running a gauntlet. Only of waiters and greeters instead of say Indiana Jones style traps. In about 30 steps had been accosted by more then 6 greeters, each one offering the best food around and free beer. It was fun at first but after a minute of constantly saying “no thanks just looking” got a little tedious. I devised a way of avoiding it though. Simply pull the darkest frown you can and march as if you are on your way to kill someone and woe betide anyone if they get in your way. It made the crowd part like the red sea all aside from the most dedicated which I basically had to run away from. The worst part was walking near the bars. I have never had so many suggestions shouted at me to buy a girl a drink. Nor have I ever been called Handsome so many times in a minute.
I don’t know who they were trying to kid. Today I was wearing army shorts, trainers and a billowy shirt. Every inch of skin was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. Its not a good look. Unless you go for the whole sweaty tourist look. WHICH NOONE DOES.
Anyway a nice dinner in the end at a Chinese curry house where I tried beer for the first time in about 4 years. It’s never really agreed with me but my preferred G&T would bankrupt me out here.
No lie a bottle of Gordon’s costs £40 out here. I wish that was the only expensive spirit. Its not. Some bottles of Vodka were selling for more then £60. No wonder people don’t really drink out here. Tiger beer is all I will really be able to afford unless I start distilling myself. Anyway in what seems to be a miracle I actually like the beer out here. So hooray.
Tried to take a few photos of the area around but my camera doesn’t work properly in the dark. Everything is blurry. Time for haggling round 2 tomorrow. Still no internet (although hopefully that will be fixed by tomorrow when I move into halls).
My phone has also been on for 6 hours. No messages. Its what to be expected I guess not knowing ANYONE else in this country. Still. Am very sad. Text me? Please?
2nd Day
Wednesday 29th July
Woke up to find Dad looming over me grinning like an older balding Cheshire cat. He is beside himself with happiness at getting a suite, and ill confess its beyond impressive. The suite itself is nothing compared to the hotel though. I have never been in a 2 star let alone a 5 star hotel. If however this is what they are all like I promise that I will try to stay in them from now on. Ill try to stick a photo or two up at some point.
When we first walked in my Brother and I literally gasped, I guess the impact will be lost if you are looking at a photo but its almost like a 21 stories floating on air.
Anyway breakfast. Amazing. As I said never been in a 5 star before. I had no idea that beef bacon even existed. Its delicious by the way. Must have eaten a whole leather jackets worth. The staff are all very friendly and take their jobs very seriously. One man wouldn’t let me take my cereal back to my seat and insisted on carrying it for me. I don’t know, I guess its what you are paying for (unless you have a free double upgrade!) but I am really not used to/ comfortable with people doing everything for me. At the very least I should have the right to carry my own breakfast bowl.
Looking at the server though it was as if the very idea was similar to me spitting in his face. Found a lady who makes pancakes just before breakfast ended today. Over the next day or two she is to become my constant breakfast friend.
J’adore pancakes. Especially avec maple syrup.
After breakfast I left in search of a phone to use or an unlock service for my existing crappy one I brought with me. I found neither, although I did open a bank account. In about 10 minutes. Without any papers or documentation. Never would have happened in Britain. That done I spent the rest of the day just wandering around the area, not having any internet, money or phone severely limits what you can do in a day.
However that’s not to say I didn’t have fun, the people are all so friendly and cant seem to do enough for you although you catch a lot of them just staring. Maybe its because I’m dressed as an absolute stereotype. Shorts, sandals, Wife beater and sunglasses.
I don’t think I could look more white and on holiday if I tried. Actually I take that back. I could have sunburn as well. Don’t worry though, I’m sure that’s coming.
Actually again, I take that back. I could be my Dad.
Love him to pieces but the man is every bad thing about the British in another country there could be.
“DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?” has become his equivalent to “hello”. Once assured that whoever he is speaking to does speak English (as everyone does) he replies “OH GOOD” and then starts to state what he wants slowly getting louder and louder. To the point of which he is actually shouting. Then come his listening problems. He cannot understand accents. At all. So when he gets the reply to his questions he always ends up asking the same thing or what he was just told 3 or 4 times. Handily I seem to be able to understand everyone so I have been stepping in before his shouting at someone on the street alerts the police or something.
Should probably talk a little about the weather here as well. Its sunny. Gloriously sunny. About 30 degrees and 24 at night. Its sticky hot though, the kind of sunshine that makes you sweat through everything you are wearing in about 20 minutes. 3 showers a day I am on so far and I’m convinced that I will need more so as not to repel everyone I meet. I hope I will get used to it.
Also went to the gym today with my brother and embarrassed him with my awkward stretch routine in the centre of the gym floor. Then we went swimming in the hotel pool for a bit. Im dangerously out of shape I think and was absolutely knackered after that, had to come back to the room for a little rest.
A lot of people seem to swim here, I forgot how good it was for you. Felt ever so slightly whale-like in the water and found it hard to believe that I was the same person who used to train for swimming 3 times a week and could shoot through the water like a bullet.
I am a larger, fatter bullet now, but its something I can work on. Its important to have goals so they say. Went out for dinner in the CBD. Very nice but kind of small portions. I guess that’s why Asian people as whole seem healthy and skinny, they don’t eat till they are nearly sick like some people back home. Came back and got “No country for Old men” from the concierge to watch with Brother and Dad. Awesome.
Oh, forgot to mention while taking one of the underpasses avoiding a main road came into a huge underground hall. It was filled with young men and women break dancing. Not as in an organised lesson but just circles of the youth in different groups practicing handstands and the six step. I had to stop and stare for a second. I would have taken a photo but was slightly worried I would be set on by a gang of agile ninjas for my cheek.
Woke up to find Dad looming over me grinning like an older balding Cheshire cat. He is beside himself with happiness at getting a suite, and ill confess its beyond impressive. The suite itself is nothing compared to the hotel though. I have never been in a 2 star let alone a 5 star hotel. If however this is what they are all like I promise that I will try to stay in them from now on. Ill try to stick a photo or two up at some point.
When we first walked in my Brother and I literally gasped, I guess the impact will be lost if you are looking at a photo but its almost like a 21 stories floating on air.
Anyway breakfast. Amazing. As I said never been in a 5 star before. I had no idea that beef bacon even existed. Its delicious by the way. Must have eaten a whole leather jackets worth. The staff are all very friendly and take their jobs very seriously. One man wouldn’t let me take my cereal back to my seat and insisted on carrying it for me. I don’t know, I guess its what you are paying for (unless you have a free double upgrade!) but I am really not used to/ comfortable with people doing everything for me. At the very least I should have the right to carry my own breakfast bowl.
Looking at the server though it was as if the very idea was similar to me spitting in his face. Found a lady who makes pancakes just before breakfast ended today. Over the next day or two she is to become my constant breakfast friend.
J’adore pancakes. Especially avec maple syrup.
After breakfast I left in search of a phone to use or an unlock service for my existing crappy one I brought with me. I found neither, although I did open a bank account. In about 10 minutes. Without any papers or documentation. Never would have happened in Britain. That done I spent the rest of the day just wandering around the area, not having any internet, money or phone severely limits what you can do in a day.
However that’s not to say I didn’t have fun, the people are all so friendly and cant seem to do enough for you although you catch a lot of them just staring. Maybe its because I’m dressed as an absolute stereotype. Shorts, sandals, Wife beater and sunglasses.
I don’t think I could look more white and on holiday if I tried. Actually I take that back. I could have sunburn as well. Don’t worry though, I’m sure that’s coming.
Actually again, I take that back. I could be my Dad.
Love him to pieces but the man is every bad thing about the British in another country there could be.
“DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?” has become his equivalent to “hello”. Once assured that whoever he is speaking to does speak English (as everyone does) he replies “OH GOOD” and then starts to state what he wants slowly getting louder and louder. To the point of which he is actually shouting. Then come his listening problems. He cannot understand accents. At all. So when he gets the reply to his questions he always ends up asking the same thing or what he was just told 3 or 4 times. Handily I seem to be able to understand everyone so I have been stepping in before his shouting at someone on the street alerts the police or something.
Should probably talk a little about the weather here as well. Its sunny. Gloriously sunny. About 30 degrees and 24 at night. Its sticky hot though, the kind of sunshine that makes you sweat through everything you are wearing in about 20 minutes. 3 showers a day I am on so far and I’m convinced that I will need more so as not to repel everyone I meet. I hope I will get used to it.
Also went to the gym today with my brother and embarrassed him with my awkward stretch routine in the centre of the gym floor. Then we went swimming in the hotel pool for a bit. Im dangerously out of shape I think and was absolutely knackered after that, had to come back to the room for a little rest.
A lot of people seem to swim here, I forgot how good it was for you. Felt ever so slightly whale-like in the water and found it hard to believe that I was the same person who used to train for swimming 3 times a week and could shoot through the water like a bullet.
I am a larger, fatter bullet now, but its something I can work on. Its important to have goals so they say. Went out for dinner in the CBD. Very nice but kind of small portions. I guess that’s why Asian people as whole seem healthy and skinny, they don’t eat till they are nearly sick like some people back home. Came back and got “No country for Old men” from the concierge to watch with Brother and Dad. Awesome.
Oh, forgot to mention while taking one of the underpasses avoiding a main road came into a huge underground hall. It was filled with young men and women break dancing. Not as in an organised lesson but just circles of the youth in different groups practicing handstands and the six step. I had to stop and stare for a second. I would have taken a photo but was slightly worried I would be set on by a gang of agile ninjas for my cheek.
1st Day
Tuesday 28th July
Yesterday I left the cold unwelcoming shores of Britain for the eastern promise of Asia. I undertake this journey with the intention of starting a new life for myself. It will be a short existence as I am only in the country for a few months. However I do not feel this should be much of an impediment. I will write this Blog when I feel I have the energy, and me being the lazy fucker I am ensures that this shall probably be updated only once a week - if that. Hey ho.
As regards the first day, travelling was a bit of a nightmare, assuming myself totally packed got into the car to drive to the airport only to have to turn around after 5 or so minutes of driving. Had one of those “feelings”, like a little prickle down my neck letting me know that something was wrong.
Anyway good idea I listened to it as it turns out I had left my beloved little laptop in a bag at the bottom of the stairs. Not cool.
I cant imagine making do without one, not least because it has all my music and photos on. I imagine it would be much harder as well to maintain a decent blog with just paper and pen. Who for instance would I address my entries to?
I suspect it would just become one of those irritating chain letters you used to get when you were a kid in the 90’s. I only ever got one of those. Im pretty sure it was 50 long and I broke it. I think I probably lost it. So maybe in a roundabout way me forgetting my laptop was fates way of telling me that now we are even? Who knows? I certainly don’t.
Flight itself was pretty much standard, cramped into economy between my Dad and my younger Brother (who are coming with me for a few days so they can have a holiday). My poor brother though is absolutely terrified of flying. Its an odd sight, a 6”3’ 95kg muscle bound potential mob enforcer being reduced to a gibbering wreck in seconds. Brother managed to panic in record time this flight, eyes as wide as saucers and nails digging into the armrests of his seat without about a minute of sitting down on the plane.
A little like a cartoon cat.
Anyway the TV wasn’t working properly so I watched Monsters v Aliens a grand total of 4 times during the flight. I’m pretty sure I have actually now been conditioned into liking the film.
Oh also Dad was noisily sick due to turbulence about 6 hours in when everyone was asleep. He woke up most of the plane. What can I say? He is just a sharer.
He is planning on writing a complaint about the food and the entertainment system being fubar. And to be honest I think he may actually have a point for once. I saw more then one person go green at the sight of the airplane breakfast. I was even a little sick in my mouth when trying to eat the bacon. That’s generally a bad sign when it comes to food.
Night journeys on planes have always fascinated me, looking down at the country below with its roads and pockets of lights. In my mind I think I always draw comparison with a huge sleeping animal.
By flying overhead you see it at a cellular level, the roads branching off like so many blood vessels to provide what’s required at the different towns. I guess its an odd analogy, but it works for me and I’m the one writing this. So fuck you. But don’t actually. Unless of course you want to. It’s really none of my business.
Anyway we eventually arrived only for me to have a mini panic attack at customs. Large signs everywhere denote death to anyone carrying drugs. I tried to play it cool past security but in the back of my mind I was constantly worrying about them finding my pack of paracetemol. Street value of nearly $1.
Eventually though I was passed through. I guess they decided that I was too big a cheese in the drugs world to try to stop lest I set my boys on them.
Having finally arrived, hungry tired and smelly I attempt to flag down a Taxi only to be stopped cold case by Dad who has decided that it would be best to get used to the country right away and make use of local transport links. Ie the tube.
Should only take 20 minutes, he has been here before. Two and a half hours later we are lost. Dad confesses that he has never been here before and was running on the basis of what he had read online. Wonderful. I lost track of the amount of people we had to ask for directions. Got a nice photo of me and my brother fresh off the tube just having left the station. It’s quite cute.
It wasn’t all bad though, when we did arrive it turns out the hotel have decided to upgrade our room. Twice. From a basic package we have been updated past a deluxe room to an actually ever loving suite. Dad thinks its because the hotel is empty as tourist season hasn’t really started. I think its because someone was murdered in the room.
I will never stay somewhere so fine in all my life. Makes me feel kind of stupid that I arranged to move into my uni accommodation early. That’s life though I suppose, and I think its important to arrive soon as to start making friends and enemies as soon as possible. Dinner was the standard affair of an Englishman at 11pm in the evening. That is to say a choice between McDonalds or Burger King.
I had a Double Jnr whopper for $3. That’s a price I can live with.
It was clear however that Dad has never in the past maybe 20 years been to a fast food restaurant as he sat down clearly expecting to be waited on and then was somewhat at a loss with what to do with his drink. Eventually after me and Brother exchanged glances and smiles I went and asked for a straw for him.
Got home about 12 asian time and collapsed utterly exhausted, writing this fitfully from my bed.
Yesterday I left the cold unwelcoming shores of Britain for the eastern promise of Asia. I undertake this journey with the intention of starting a new life for myself. It will be a short existence as I am only in the country for a few months. However I do not feel this should be much of an impediment. I will write this Blog when I feel I have the energy, and me being the lazy fucker I am ensures that this shall probably be updated only once a week - if that. Hey ho.
As regards the first day, travelling was a bit of a nightmare, assuming myself totally packed got into the car to drive to the airport only to have to turn around after 5 or so minutes of driving. Had one of those “feelings”, like a little prickle down my neck letting me know that something was wrong.
Anyway good idea I listened to it as it turns out I had left my beloved little laptop in a bag at the bottom of the stairs. Not cool.
I cant imagine making do without one, not least because it has all my music and photos on. I imagine it would be much harder as well to maintain a decent blog with just paper and pen. Who for instance would I address my entries to?
I suspect it would just become one of those irritating chain letters you used to get when you were a kid in the 90’s. I only ever got one of those. Im pretty sure it was 50 long and I broke it. I think I probably lost it. So maybe in a roundabout way me forgetting my laptop was fates way of telling me that now we are even? Who knows? I certainly don’t.
Flight itself was pretty much standard, cramped into economy between my Dad and my younger Brother (who are coming with me for a few days so they can have a holiday). My poor brother though is absolutely terrified of flying. Its an odd sight, a 6”3’ 95kg muscle bound potential mob enforcer being reduced to a gibbering wreck in seconds. Brother managed to panic in record time this flight, eyes as wide as saucers and nails digging into the armrests of his seat without about a minute of sitting down on the plane.
A little like a cartoon cat.
Anyway the TV wasn’t working properly so I watched Monsters v Aliens a grand total of 4 times during the flight. I’m pretty sure I have actually now been conditioned into liking the film.
Oh also Dad was noisily sick due to turbulence about 6 hours in when everyone was asleep. He woke up most of the plane. What can I say? He is just a sharer.
He is planning on writing a complaint about the food and the entertainment system being fubar. And to be honest I think he may actually have a point for once. I saw more then one person go green at the sight of the airplane breakfast. I was even a little sick in my mouth when trying to eat the bacon. That’s generally a bad sign when it comes to food.
Night journeys on planes have always fascinated me, looking down at the country below with its roads and pockets of lights. In my mind I think I always draw comparison with a huge sleeping animal.
By flying overhead you see it at a cellular level, the roads branching off like so many blood vessels to provide what’s required at the different towns. I guess its an odd analogy, but it works for me and I’m the one writing this. So fuck you. But don’t actually. Unless of course you want to. It’s really none of my business.
Anyway we eventually arrived only for me to have a mini panic attack at customs. Large signs everywhere denote death to anyone carrying drugs. I tried to play it cool past security but in the back of my mind I was constantly worrying about them finding my pack of paracetemol. Street value of nearly $1.
Eventually though I was passed through. I guess they decided that I was too big a cheese in the drugs world to try to stop lest I set my boys on them.
Having finally arrived, hungry tired and smelly I attempt to flag down a Taxi only to be stopped cold case by Dad who has decided that it would be best to get used to the country right away and make use of local transport links. Ie the tube.
Should only take 20 minutes, he has been here before. Two and a half hours later we are lost. Dad confesses that he has never been here before and was running on the basis of what he had read online. Wonderful. I lost track of the amount of people we had to ask for directions. Got a nice photo of me and my brother fresh off the tube just having left the station. It’s quite cute.
It wasn’t all bad though, when we did arrive it turns out the hotel have decided to upgrade our room. Twice. From a basic package we have been updated past a deluxe room to an actually ever loving suite. Dad thinks its because the hotel is empty as tourist season hasn’t really started. I think its because someone was murdered in the room.
I will never stay somewhere so fine in all my life. Makes me feel kind of stupid that I arranged to move into my uni accommodation early. That’s life though I suppose, and I think its important to arrive soon as to start making friends and enemies as soon as possible. Dinner was the standard affair of an Englishman at 11pm in the evening. That is to say a choice between McDonalds or Burger King.
I had a Double Jnr whopper for $3. That’s a price I can live with.
It was clear however that Dad has never in the past maybe 20 years been to a fast food restaurant as he sat down clearly expecting to be waited on and then was somewhat at a loss with what to do with his drink. Eventually after me and Brother exchanged glances and smiles I went and asked for a straw for him.
Got home about 12 asian time and collapsed utterly exhausted, writing this fitfully from my bed.
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