Super Bowl from Singapore

So yesterday was the Super Bowl. The championship of football, played between the top team (according the playoff system, if not necessarily by record) of the AFC and NFC. The winner gets a big shiny trophy. Everybody watches the game.

Ok, clearly "everybody" is an exaggeration. It's a lot of people.
Also, "watches" may be an exaggeration as well. Many times, I have "watched" the Super Bowl and gotten to the end of the game without being able to tell you who won or what the score was, but being able to clearly articulate the line-up of songs performed at half-time, as well as the recipe for the dip that was served. 

But that's half the fun.

Now, imagine you are in a foreign country. Say.......Singapore. Hypothetically speaking. The ultimate football game is airing at 7am. You do not have ABC, CBS, ESPN or any other channel that might remotely be airing the game. You also do not have the ability to stream video because Singapore internet doesn't allow it. So ABC.com, ESPN360, etc. are all off the table as well. You do have access to one or two sports bars in town who are showing it, but due to limited space and high demand, they require reservations to get a spot. I know this based on a report from a friend. Seeing as the Seahawks were eliminated from contention, I gave up and quit paying attention to the football season. Therefore, at 7am, when the game was beginning, I was still sleeping because I was on a late night flight back to Singapore from a weekend in Vietnam.

When I got up and into the office, I caught up on the Super Bowl via the internet, saw the YouTube video of the halftime show. (Beyonce is rad.) Saw the recap of the power outage. (Srsly Nawlins?) And highlights from the game. (Go Ravens.) 

My co-worker (American, from Baltimore, big fan) took the morning off from work to go to the sports bar and watch the game. So when she got into the office, we discussed the game. And explained to everyone else exactly what the Super Bowl is, barely remembering to describe the sport as "American style football" so as not to confuse with soccer. And then we realized how silly the American football championship is in comparison to any of the soccer championships. So we started talking about Beyonce. 

Now there's a topic on which everyone can agree and a subject that transcends borders and backgrounds. 

Musings from Singapore: the airport

While living in Singapore, there are many things I've had to get used to. Some are better than others.

But one thing I could DEFINITELY get used to is the airport.

Arriving in Singapore in August was my first foray into Asia and I had no idea what to expect. I mean, I knew Singapore was "first world" and had the requisite #firstworldproblems. And the BF had been here a few months and clued me in to a few things. But getting off the plane at Changi Airport was not what I expected. I was expecting squat toilets and non-potable water, possibly some sporadic air con. But instead, what I found was delightfully clean and automated bathrooms, drinking fountains on every turn, amazing travellators (that's what they call the moving "sidewalk" things in the airport that help you get from gate to gate more quickly. I always wondered what to call them....) and bright, shiny, clean everything.

As I traveled to and from Singapore, my initial awe and respect for Changi Airport has changed into true appreciation.

On my first trip from Singapore (to Cambodia, in August) I noticed a few things:

• People dress up. No one wears pajamas to the airport, because they recognize that they are, in fact, out in public. (I'm looking at you, SeaTac.) Also, it happens to be a portion of "out in public" that sells high end cosmetics, clothing, handbags and even jewelry. I'm not real sure about that, but if it keeps people from dressing skanky (as my dad put it) in the airport, I'm down. I was wearing a cute t-shirt dress and boat shoes and felt a little underdressed, but considering the alternative, I'm ok with that. 
• We got our boarding pass at the counter and proceeded through the gates marked "Departure". In the US, this path takes you to a security checkpoint, where you basically have to strip down and completely unpack your suitcase on the conveyor belt before having your hair patted and sniffed. In Singapore, you proceed directly to an immigration checkpoint. Because every flight out of Singapore is an international flight. The country is 710 square kilometers in size, with one city. There are no "domestic" flights.
• After passing through immigration, I expected the security checkpoint, but still no. It wasnt until we got to our gate that we went through a security checkpoint. The gates are walled off with glass walls and they check your boarding pass and scan you as you enter the waiting area for your flight. This means that everyone in the security line with you is on your flight. There's no missing your flight cuz you were in the security line forever!
• Also...Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks co-exist peacefully...why can't they do that in Seattle?

On subsequent trips to Changi Airport, my appreciation has only continued to grow. They have signs that give the estimated walking time to your gate, so you can plan your journey through the terminal. They have massive duty-free shops and srsly full. on. mall. But probably the best thing is the "express lanes" for immigration checkpoints. If you are a Singaporean citizen - or have a handy-dandy little identification card, like I have, through my long-term employment pass - you can skip the lines at the passport checkpoint and go through the express lanes. You walk up to a kiosk and scan your passport or ID card. Then you walk to the next kiosk and scan your thumb print. The little screen says "Bon voyage!" and you're on your way. (When you come back to Singapore, the little screen says "Welcome to Singapore!") There's no waiting in line, no awkward conversation with the immigration official.....I mean, there are no passport stamps either, but it's a worthwhile sacrifice.

So when it comes to air travel, congratulations Singapore, you're doing it right!

It's been my experience that the nicer, more efficient, cleaner airports are the smaller ones. Knoxville, TN and Columbia, SC are some really awesome airports. But Singapore is no small potatoes! In 2012, more than 51 million passengers passed through the airport on one (or more) of the airport's 6500 weekly scheduled flights. As a point of comparison, LAX handled more than 63 million passengers in 2012 and RDU handled about 9 million. 

Home to more than 110 airlines, serving 240 cities in 60 countries, Singapore is a hub for Asian travel and a jumping off point to the rest of the continent. In addition to the major international carriers (United, Delta, KLM, etc.) it's also home to Singapore Airlines, which is consistently rated one of the world's top airlines* and a handful of regional carriers that offer limited itineraries for CHEAP for people like me who want to eat every variety of noodle in Southeast Asia in its original location. So with all that going on, maybe it should come as no surprise that this airport has its act together.

*I'm flying Singapore Air next week and will report back. 

Musings from Singapore: holidays and cultures

Singapore is an interesting mix of cultures. Mostly Asian influence, a hodge podge of Chinese, Malay and Indian people (most native Singaporeans identify with one of these races) and an interesting mix of expats from US, UK and Australia. All of these cultures blending together manifests in some interesting ways.

For example, public holidays are a mix of the most popular/common holidays of each of the major religions and races. We get Hari Raya, a Muslim holiday, off in October; Deepavali - also known as Diwali - which is a Hindu/Sikh holiday, off in November; and we get Christmas off in November. We also get Chinese New Year and Singapore National Day off.

Singapore is really a very new country. Though British and Dutch explorers visited the island in the late 1800s, it's only been in the last 30 or so years that Singapore has really become an independent nation with government and industry. Being a small island nation, surrounded by many other countries, its inhabitants came from all over Asia and brought their traditions with them. So the Singaporean traditions are really a mix of other cultures.

When compared to the nations of Europe, the US is very young. And while the kingdoms and dynasties of Asia have been around a long time, the current nations are very new. Newer even than the US. In the US, our customs are a melding of the customs and traditions of the western Europeans who founded the country with the customs of the indigenous people and a sprinkling of the other cultures who've come to the country since. We have Memorial Day and Veteran's Day to honor our military, Christmas and Easter as Christian holidays, and Thanksgiving, Labor Day and President's Day in honor of our history. The holidays are uniquely American. In Singapore, it's a bit different. There hasn't been enough time for the different cultures to really meld together, so the holidays are a collection of important days from the other cultures who came here.

I've heard it said that America is a "melting pot" of cultures, all melted and blended together; but Singapore is a salad bowl: lots of different flavors put together in a bowl, but each remains wholly distinct. You can pluck a tomato out of a salad (as the bf generally does) but you cannot pluck a chocolate chip or wedge of cheese out of a fondue pot once it's been melted.

I wonder if in 200 years the holidays will just be "Singaporean" or if the distinctions will remain.....

Musings from Singapore: The Infamous Sling

Us at the Long Bar, sipping the famous Sling.

You've probably heard of the Singapore Sling. Heck, you've probably had one.

It's a cocktail that mixes gin, pineapple juice, grenadine and other things to make a delicious, fruity tropical beverage. The cocktail was invented by bartenders at the Long Bar in the Raffles Hotel in Singapore and has grown to worldwide renown and popularity in the last 100 years. 

When telling people I was coming to Singapore, many of them asked if I was going to have a Singapore Sling. And anyone who had been here told me to go to the Raffles Hotel and have a Sling at the home of the Sling.

So I did.

The Raffles Hotel was founded in 1887 and named for Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore. Sir Stamford Raffles was a British statesman who led expeditions and conquests of the far east for the British Empire. He spent time in the growing ports of Malaysia before founding Singapore as an entity. His role in positioning Singapore as a vital port city and economic player in the Asian trade markets is respected and much of the city now is named for him. For example, the Raffles Hotel, Raffles City mall, Raffles Hospital, Raffles Place, Raffles Design Institute.....

The Raffles Hotel has undergone many  upgrades, expansions and changes over the years and is one of the foremost hotels in the city. With beautiful verandas with rattan furniture and ceiling fans and festive decor, it's popular among visiting business travelers and dignitaries. When my friends Will & Kate came to visit, that's where they stayed. The week they were here was the 125th anniversary of the hotel, so that's the week I decided to visit the Long Bar myself.

In honor of the occasion, the Long Bar had created a special anniversary recipe Sling, which included champagne. For the sake of thorough research, I had to try both the original recipe and the anniversary recipe Sling. They were both delicious. Also, S$32. Each. Yeah.

Me, holding the S$32 beverage.

Musings from Singapore: Sporadic AirCon

Almost everywhere is air conditioned....note that I said ALMOST.

My office is air conditioned, but the elevators are not. And the hallway outside my office, where the elevators are, also not air conditioned. My first day at the office, I had wandered around trying to find the place (I took the correct MRT to the correct stop, but had no idea which way to go once I got off the train. Thus, the wandering). Them I took the unairconditioned elevator and waited in the unairconditioned hallway for someone to let me in.....in the 90 degree heat and 90% humidity. By the time I got into the office, I was a hot sweaty mess.

Most buildings - including my office - have box unit air conditioning (that everyone refers to as AirCon, not to be confused with Con Air, a delightful film from the late 90s in which Nicolas Cage sports a rad mullet) rather than central air. I have several thoughts on this:

• Box units allow for tighter control on the area cooled and the electricity used to do so. At night, I can turn on the bedroom aircon unit, turn off the living room unit, close the bedroom door and stay cool all night, without using electricity to run the living room unit.
• Since it never changes season or temperature here in Singapore, there's no need for a heater. That renders a full HVAC system unnecessary, so maybe unit aircon is more efficient.
• This leads to interesting architectural challenges. My aircon units need an exhaust and fan system, which must be connected to the unit. This means I have a box outside my window that powers the unit. There's one outside my living room window and another outside my bedroom window. My building has open columns in the middle of the building that are JUST for housing these units. In the US, buildings have square (or rectangle or trapezoid or whatever) exteriors and the interior is wholly covered by central HVAC. 

I turn the aircon in my apartment off when I leave in the morning. And if I'm the first in the office (or last to leave), I turn the aircon on and off there as well. It's a different system, for sure. Just another quirk of living in Asia.

And I'm pretty sure that if I had gone to school in Columbia, South Carolina in buildings that had air conditioned classrooms, but not hallways, it would have been a long, sweaty four years. You know, more than it was already.

Musings from Singapore: toilets

They tell us that in the northern hemisphere, some things are different than in the southern hemisphere. For example, seasons. In the northern hemisphere, winter is November through February. It is frequently possible that Americans and Canadians (and Russians and Swedes, for that matter) will experience a White Christmas. In fact, it's common enough that Bing Crosby made a hit song AND a movie out of the concept. In Australia, not so much. They have a very warm Christmas because December is in the summer in the southern hemisphere. (It's quite warm in Myrtle Beach at Christmas also, but Aunt Big Cat and I still have to turn the space heater on when we sit on the front porch drinking wine. Not the same.)

Constellations are another thing. The stars you can see from places north of the equator are not the same as the ones you can see from places south of the equator at the same time of year. I dont know a lot of constellations, so I cant give you a lot of examples of this, but I believe it to be true. For example, the Southern Cross is a constellation most often visible in the southern hemisphere and is so commonly seen that it is represented on the Australian flag. You cant see it from Seattle. Also, I know you can see the North Star, the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) and the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor) from the northern hemisphere. Specifically, from Raleigh, NC. I've seen it. And you can see Cassiopeia from New York. I know this because I've seen the movie Serendipity. Like 5 times. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. John Cusack, Jeremy Piven, Kate Beckinsale, Molly Shannon and a pre-S&TC Season 4 John Corbett (read: bad hair Aidan) as Lars, the celebrated oboist or whatever.

Another thing that we're often told is different in northern and southern hemispheres is the toilets. That in the northern hemisphere, they flush counter clockwise and in the southern hemisphere, clockwise. Now, I have been to the southern hemisphere (Peru) and neglected to pay attention to the way the toilets flushed. Probably because I was just glad to be flushing a toilet after 4 days on the Inca Trail....but I digress.

Singapore is basically on the equator. Downtown Singapore is 85 miles north of the equator, at 1 degree north latitude. So if northern toilets flush one way....and southern toilets flush the other....what happens on the equator?!

The toilets don't flush around! They just go....down. The water comes in from both sides and it just goes down. No around. Just down.

And THAT is what happens to toilets on the equator.

You're welcome.

IMPORTANT UPDATE

I got a phone.

Actually, let me try that again:
I GOT A PHONE!!!!!!11111!!11

It's a blue Nokia phone with buttons. No touchscreen. No built-in camera. No internet access.

Seriously. Buttons. About 15 of them. Numbers 0-9, *, #, Left, Right, Call, Hang-up and Square. Ok, that's 17. 

It's pretty much the "baby's first cell phone" Nokia phone we all had in 2003. But unlike 2003, it cost S$65. Also, unlike 2003, the Nokia ringtone now comes in a lovely acoustic/Spanish guitar version. Which I quickly changed.

So I'm still feeling the pain of not having internet access in my hand and at my disposal at all times, but I'm at least able to call and text.

I'm not even going to complain about the fact that I dont have a full keyboard and have to hit the 3 button 3 times to get the letter F. Or that I still can't figure out how to do punctuation. I'm just glad to have returned to the world of the phoned.

Musings from Singapore: phoneless

Hi. I'm Charlie. And I'm a phone-a-holic.

I dont mean that in a 13-year-old girl, my phone is my connection to all things important and social and I'm constantly talking or texting my BFFs kinda way. I mean it in a totally healthy, functional, professional adult kinda way. But a healthy, professional adult who has become UBER dependent on her phone.

And now that I'm in Singapore, I am without phone. My American phone does not work here (blah blah it's not 4G blah blah blah network compatibility blah) and if it did work, it would incur BUHtarded roaming charges anyway. Since I'm going to be here for a couple of  months, I will be acquiring a phone, but my vacationing has been the priority so far and as such, I am still without phone.

Now, this is usually ok. I am not so young that I'm from the generation of kids who does not know the sturm und drang that is life without a cell phone. I recall the days prior to cell phones, as well as the early days of "cell phones" when they were the size of a brick, had a one line input screen for viewing digits dialed and may or may not have come in a bag that had to be plugged in to your car's cigarett lighter at all times. Also, Zack Morris. When I started driving, my parents put a phone in my car that was solely for the purpose of calling them when I left Queenie's house, to let them know I was on my way home. There was no texting. That was only for kids who had pagers. And dont get me started on the kids who had pagers......

So I'm re-learning how to live without constant access to the data, information, the Google and a database of phone numbers that allow me to reach virtually everyone I know (and some people I dont know, but who are in my phone's address book for reasons that I dont even understand).

And this is all fine. If I want to run an errand, say to the grocery store, I use my computer to look up the MRT stations that I need to use to travel to the store from my office. I travel there, buy some fruit, bring said fruit back to the office, all is well. I suffer from phantom phone pains: I frequently reach into my bag to answer a ringing or vibrating phone that is not there.

But the real problem here is that I have no back-up plan. I'm flying without a net. And we all know what happened to the Flying Graysons when they were flying without a net. Ahem, orphaned Dick Grayson has to go live with creepy Bruce Wayne and support his split personality "hero complex" lifestyle.

Fortunately, nothing so calamitous has happened to me yet. I've only suffered such inconveniences as wandering around a massive MRT station/shopping center lost, failing to hail cabs and leaving The BF high and dry while waiting for me to appear at an appointed time.

But still. Now that I'm back from vacay, I'm getting a phone. Even if it's a prepaid silly little shiny thing that doesnt have all the power I'm used to, it's better than nothing. And maybe, with enough time, the phantom pains will dissipate.

Or I'll go back to the US and resume my previous phone habits. One or the other.

Singapore is like Band Camp

Like, for REAL.

Queenie and I have traveled around a bit, always having a good time, often getting weird looks from strangers and usually laughing. And over the course of our travels, we have come to the conclusion that there are MANY things in life, for which we are properly prepared, thanks to Band Camp.

For those of you who are unaware, yes, I was in the band in high school and yes, I went to band camp. Our entire HS marching band went to camp together for a week each summer to do marching band stuff. 

And at various points in my adult life, I have had the occasion to think - and then exclaim - THIS is just like band camp!

A train in France was just like band camp, in that there was a woman chaperoning a school group on our train who scolded us much like the infamous band moms of our past.

Peru was just like band camp, in that we walked a lot and ate meals as a group. And we had sherpas carrying our things around for us. (Although at band camp, the sherpas were freshmen and they were free. In the Andes, we had to pay for that. There were no freshmen around.)

And Singapore is like band camp in that you walk a lot, get sweaty and no one really cares, because everyone else is walking a lot and is just as sweaty as you. So that's cool.

Of course, this means Singapore is also like band camp in that you need Band-Aids, sunscreen, baby powder and athletic tape, for the blisters, sunburn, heat rash and sprained ankles that come along with.

Singapore is like a hangover

You know when you're hungover, you feel tired and achy and icky and weird. And it's hard to focus. And bright lights and loud noises hurt your head. Yeah.

The root cause of this, of course, is the dehydration that comes from drinking too much. And with the long plane trip, lack of good sleep and hot hot sweaty weather here, I have become a bit dehydrated.

Anyone who has been to my desk in Seattle has seen the evidence of my regular water consumption: there is a large pink cup and a large water bottle on my desk at all times. I take them to and from the kitchen several times a day to fill them up.

In Singapore, I have only a miniature little water bottle that I fill and refill often. And it has taken several days to get caught up on my water consumption, to the point that I don't feel completely cruddy. 

Due to my experience living on the west coast, with many beloved family and friends on the east coast and my regular cross-country travels, I underestimated the impact of jet lag. I may have even scoffed (at least in my head. Usually.) at the wishes of "good luck with the jet lag". I dont know if it's because I'm going the opposite way, or because of the time and route that I flew or if it's just because it's so hot here.....whatever it is, this jet lag mess is no joke.

But I'm powering through and today is much better. I'm fairly functional, staying awake at my desk and might even have the energy to walk home from the train station (instead of taking a bus). 

It's funny how God truly gives us things in life to prepare us for what's to come. Only in this case, I didn't think that all those times I went to work hungover would prepare me for my international experience. (Fritha, Pickle, Pie - I'm looking at you). 

Asian Adventure: Extended Cut

So, remember how I told you I was going to Singapore for a few weeks on vacay? To visit The BF?

Yeah, so...it's turned into a bit of an extended trip.

My company's Singapore office asked for some help from the US team, in the form of a US person moving to Singapore for 6-8 weeks. So, since I have the right kind of experience - and was heading there for a vacay anyway - they asked me to do it. And I said yes.

The offer got confirmed about 72 hours before my flight was leaving. So I spent most of that time frantically trying to wrap up work things and also do things like get shots, cancel my cable and figure out how to pack for 10 weeks in 2 suitcases. 

The downside is I keep discovering things I forgot to pack that I can NOT do without for 10 weeks. Like tweezers. 

The upside is they have stores here and I can buy things.

They're putting me up in a "corporate apartment" while I'm here,but it's not ready yet. There's a guy in the apartment now and he has to move out, then they have to clean the apt and rent me some furniture. I'm hoping it'll be ready in 2 weeks, by the time I'm back from Indonesia and Cambodia.

It looks like I'll only miss the first half of football season in the US. So when South Carolina returns to the SEC Championship, I'll be able to watch it. 

So for now I'm just trying to settle in and figure things out. I have tackled public transportation: bus AND subway; I've had local Singaporean food, Indian food and also Starbucks. Yesterday, I ventured into a grocery store. Today I had coffee from a local (read: not Starbucks) coffee shop.

And I'm slowly wrapping my head around the fact that I LIVE here. At least for the next 8 weeks or so. Stay tuned for pics and updates!

Asian Adventure: Day 5

So I guess it's day 5 of my Asian adventure. Depending, of course, on which time zone you're thinking about.

First meal in Singapore #seattleite

Since arriving here LATE Saturday night, I've eaten Indian food, French food, Vietnamese food, Paranakan food and Starbucks. It's that kind of place: you can literally get anything here.

And it's all delicious. The tropical climate means things grow here and it's all super fresh and delicious. Does sweating burn calories? Cuz that seems to be my primary activity right now and I'm going to need some serious activity to burn off all the delicious food I'm eating. 

On to the real topic: sweating. It is 88 degrees and 90% humidity pretty much every day here. Today feels cooler though, so maybe it's only 87. Those of us who are from Seattle (where it is frequently the same temperature as the inside of a Singaporean refrigerator) are just not used to this kind of weather. I'll adapt, I'm sure, but in the meantime my hair has not been seen in any form other than a bun (not even a ponytail, just a bun) and I just show up sweaty. A lot.

Like freshman moving day in Columbia kinda sweaty. Only I'm supposed to be a "business lady". So instead of sweating through a sorority t-shirt, I'm sweating through work clothes. Oh well....

Sing a song of Singapore

So, the BF moved to Singapore. He got offered a job as a full-time professor and department chair at video game college. Yep, that's right. There is such a thing as video game college (with programs for teaching computer science and graphical arts with an eye toward game design professions), it's a real, accredited school and they offered him a job. So....that's a no-brainer. For a gamer dude nerd like the BF, it's CLEARLY an AMAZING opportunity.

So, the BF moved to Singapore.

The good news is I've gotten very good at calculating the 15-hour time difference, using Skype and I'm planning my very first trip to Southeast Asia.

I'm going to visit in a few weeks (weeks!!) and will get to explore Singapore. Delicious street food, bustling night life, interesting mix of cultures...it's such an exciting place to visit. And because once you've traveled 8000 miles, what's another 800? So we're looking at other places in the area to visit. Currently up for consideration: Malaysia (including Kuala Lumpur and those REALLY big buildings), Indonesia (one of the islands west of Bali) and Cambodia (to see the ruins at Angkor Wat).

Now to figure out all the vacation details.....