A Farewell Ode To Sleepy Sam's

Goodbye Sleepy Sam's! I will miss your quiet charm.

Farewell to the man in briefs, who sleeps on the common room floor every night, flashing that smile each time I walk by.

Adios to the children playing in the streets, who run around blowing on whistles, which are made to sound like birds dying.

Au revoir to my bunkmate: Tin Tsu Chu Ming Zan, who has more names than I have siblings.

Arividerchi to my daily routine of brown toast and jam...occasionally substituted with cornflakes when I'm especially bored...And let's not forget to give a shout out to the unidentifiable fruit, the one that resembles a zebra with polka dots.

In all seriousness, I will miss the charm of the neighborhood--the nights where I can sit and dine in the middle of the pedestrian street, listening to live Malay music, gazing out at the dimly lit mosque at the end of the street.

What I won't miss is the mystery of the missing shoe (that is, I have one shoe missing, not a pair!) or having to carry all my most valuable possessions with me at all times for fear of the bag lady and other petty thieves (yes, my writing journal is among those most valued to me). I won't miss the pebble-stones in the shower, or having to wait till morning to go pee because you're sharing a bathroom with thirty of your closest companions (now I see how the bag lady managed to wet the bed!) or getting rained on while brushing your teeth because part of the building is lacking a roof.

Oh Sleepy Sam's, you've been good to me, but it is time to take my asides elsewhere. It is time for the Underground Man in me to resurface into the light. Marriott hotel, here I come for just one night!

JCO: A Gift from the Heavens

JCO. Let's talk about JCO: the greatest establishment on earth next to Chipotle and Hummus Bro (respectively). JCO is a coffee company that also makes donuts. Krispee Kremes aint got nothin on JCO! These donuts--the glazed especially--are so lite, so fluffy, and they don't make you feel sick afterwards, so sick that you regret eating a donut in the first place! At JCO you get a complimentary donut with your coffee or cappuccino or whatnot! And the other donuts, if you want them, all have such clever names, like the Jacky Chunk (glazed with chocolate and peanuts) or the Da Vin Chez (Donut with cheese filling). JCO. Keep rockin.

Lucky's Lucky Dress (picture)

Lucky's Dress

Here are reflections from my first night of orientation, scribbled in my moleskin on the taxi ride over. Then cut to the scene later that evening, as I was coming back from the mixer:

* * * * * * * * * * *

I'm starting orientation tonight. I'm a little nervous, a little excited, and I'm running a bit late (in a cab now!)  I'm wearing my lucky dress (hot pink; black silk lining; yeah, that's the one!)—which, to be honest, has seen better days. It's wrinkled, and worn down so much that you can see hints of my black bra; the dress which should be masking my vulnerabilities is really just putting them on display. Am I embarrassed? Maybe a little, but this dress has done me well and I'm not about to give up on it in a time of need.

I'm going to forget that I have a cold for the next few hours because I have to make a first impression on a lot of people tonight. It kind of feels like college all over again. That is, college for grownups.

Oh, and I have my grad school glasses on.

* * * * * * * * *

I just got off the MRT and am heading back to the hostel. My thoughts are preoccupied with a conversation I recently had at the mixer, where endless fountains of Tiger beer flowed into my mug: in typical Steph fashion, I had turned to my newest acquaintance and asked, "If you had to pack a backpack, and only a backpack, to carry with you for the rest of your life, what would you put in it?" (Admittedly, it's a step up from the Classic Steph question of earlier years: "If you were a cereal, what cereal would you be and why?" which nevertheless remains to be my favorite question. For those of you readers who are relatively new to my life, my answer is: Lucky Charms: I'm magically delicious! Of course I have a longer, more philosophical answer but I'll have to send that in a separate dissertation.)

Now, as I’m walking down the sidewalk, dreaming about future conversations which are delightfully filled with backpacks and cereal, I can’t help but notice two Westerners, who are far too well dressed for my imaginary conversation.

The men notice me noticing them. They approach and ask, "how hard is it for someone to get a taxi around here?"
"Well boys, it's difficult, but when you're in a dress like this, you just step into the street and bam, here comes a taxi!”
The jokester of the two retorts, “Can I borrow your dress?”
“You can borrow me… Where are you boys headed?”
“Dinner.” The more rogue-ish of the two replies. He has a dark charm about him.
“And drinks!” The jokester chimes in. “Would you like to join us?”
“Sure!” I hastily respond.

Next thing I know, I’m sitting outdoors on a cool summer evening being treated to dinner (I swear the rouge ordered at least half the appetizers offered on the menu...and probably some that aren't offered) and fine wine (we drank through not one, but two bottles of $88 Chardonnay), let's not forget the fine wine.

As we sip our wine, we discuss the literature of Balzac, Tolstoy, and beyond. We analyze the differences between American and European social interactions. We discuss business in finance and how to best relate to clients. The list goes on and on. I found myself so in sync with the rogue’s viewpoints on life and love and sacrifice—it was quite amazing the dialogue that transpired. But alas, the meal ended, we drank the wine down to the last cork, and without the exchange of a single sentiment, the French men hail me a cab, open the door, and disappear into the night as quickly as they had arrived in my life.

Napkins: Not a Necessity

Yesterday I went to the Botanic Gardens, what a calming, peaceful atmosphere!  Attached is a photo of a sculpture with this inscription:  Passing of Knowledge.  "Knowledge, like water, is vital to life.  In this work, a continuous stream of water connects the two figures.  The water is symbolic of passing the knowledge from generation to generation."  Also, I'm uploading some pictures from the Orchard Garden.  The orchard is the national flower of Singapore.

A few other random observations:

-In Singapore, napkins are a luxury, not a necessity.  (Which reminds me of a conversation I had recently with my sister, Victoria.  She was debating what objects in her life were necessities and which were just luxuries...she came to the conclusion that toothpaste, in fact, is a necessity.  What I have to say to that is, that toothpaste definitely is a necessity, but the toothbrush, on the other hand, is a luxury! Anywho, back to napkins...)  It's kind of like bottled water in Europe: at a sit down restaurant in Europe, if you do not explicitly indicate that you want tap water, they will automatically pour you bottled water and then charge you for it!  Well, here in Singapore, most take away restaurants and the local places won't have a napkin in sight.  I guess it cuts down costs.  However, if you go to a sit down restaurant, they will bring you a serviette, (usually in a packaging) and then charge you for it if you chose to use it (and sometimes even when you chose not to, it just ends up on the bill.  I guess they assume most people, especially American tourists, would chose to use the napkin).  I'm hoping that this napkin-less environment will transform me into a daintier eater.  Who knows, maybe I'll learn to eat without spilling on myself!  Wouldn't that be a miracle?

-the other night, I was riding in a taxi with a contact from home, and there were fireworks going off!  I asked what the fireworks were for (it was really an incredible display of fireworks) and it turns out, that they were just practicing for a future event (it was a practice for the fireworks display for the Formula One (night) Racing that's coming to Singapore in September...which is also a big deal, more on this later...)!  Apparently, it's common for Singapore to practice fireworks before an actual event takes place.  It was neat to see such an amazing fireworks show for no reason!

Disappearing Act

I've come to the conclusion that somebody should write a horror story about staying in a hostel.  Oh wait, they did.  Remind me never to watch those movies! (Hostel I, II, and III that is...)  Don't get me wrong, it's not that bad, but the longer I'm here (going on night 8...) the more I realize that anybody could be sleeping in the bed next to you...or across from you...or above you.  I've got one woman across from me just lying there, staring at me like she's possessed.  Then you've got the bag lady to my right.  Yesterday there was a wet spot on her bed.  And today, I had a roll of toilet paper on my bed (for the flu that I've caught) that went missing.  I looked everywhere for it, I needed a Kleenex like none other!  But it was nowhere to be seen!  Hours later, I come back and the roll of toilet paper is sitting there oh-so-non-chalantly, very noticeably on my bed.  I swear the bag lady took it.  It just gets you thinking--anyone could be in that room with you--anyone. And they might even steal your last roll of toilet paper!

Today it Pours

In Singapore, rain is just a fact of life.  You want to sit outside and write?  Fine, but let the rain soak your thoughts.  It's almost soothing--cooling--characteristic.  Some days it just sprinkles, some days it pours, some days it does both.  Thunder sweeps in, and out, and in again.  I wear sunglasses on my head, even when it rains.  I guess that makes me an optimist!

Everybody J-Walks

So I have yet to see someone get caned for J-walking...it seems as though many people won't hesitate crossing the street without a signal, but that's not to say that there isn't an inordinate amount of people who wait (not if you're used to cities like NYC or London--but hey, what makes those places any more ordinary?), though I'm sure that as soon as I step out of the dotted white lines (I lie, they're not dotted...and while we're on the subject of lies, I forgot who I told this to, but the street I'm staying on does not have cobblestones...it's lined with bricks...I must have dreamed up the cobblestones...oh, and I'm not staying in Little India either, rather, Arab Street, but someone else dreamt that one up) or cross before the Red blinking man turns to Green, I'm sure I'd be the first to be made an example of!

Interestingly, you won't ever see a single policeman on the streets.  And this is considered the safest place in the world!  I guess it's the thought of retribution that keeps people in line... it's funny, cause you can see police all over cities like DC, but that doesn't make the city any more safe, does it?  Does police presence in our major cities create the illusion of being safe?  I'm not sure!  I used to tell people that North West DC, where I lived, was one of the safest places in the world, because you had three kinds of police:  University Police, Metropolitan Police, and Secret Service/FBI.  But crime, rape and murder was still rampant, even if you didn't see it per se, ... muggings especially.

Today I got myself a cell phone and went on to explore two new parts (new for me, I mean) of the city: Chinatown and Little India.  It's amazing the number of different ethnic groups, and religions, that are represented in Singapore, all of whom seem to live in harmony with each other.  I'd like to see the rest of the world take a hint!

For My Second Act of Civil Disobedience...

...I read a book in Borders and didn't buy it!  (For those who are wondering, it was Kurt Vonnegut's "A Man Without A Country" and an interesting read.)

I have spent my first few days getting to know the layout of the city.  I feel pretty comfortable getting around and I have explored much of what Singapore has to offer in this short time.  (I have already hit up the Singapore Art Museum, and the Asian Civilization Museum--for those archeologists/anthropologists in the crowd, this one was particularly good.)  Today I met up with Ravi, a native Singaporean who happens to be a good friend from college, and he gave me a tour of Singapore via car, and it was great to hear his historical commentary.  He was also kind enough to drive me to the Tisch Campus where I got my first glimpse at campus.

Subtle observations:

Aesthetically, I like Singapore.  I love the architecture of the city:  it's a very modern city, and no two buildings look the same but it still has some old-world charm:  you know how much I love that kind of juxtaposition.  But the amount of shopping malls is enough to drive me mad; it's a hard city to walk through, so you often have to go through underpasses or overpasses that take you through miles and miles of shopping malls.  It's a very consumer-oriented society. And there are always "deals" and the "deals" are always changing.  The verdict's still out on if I'm going to like living here or not...but I guess it'll help to have a place to live before I can accurately make that assessment.

-At lunch the other day, I bought a soda to take with me, so they got out two plastic bags, put ice in one plastic bag, poured the soda in the bag with ice, which was in the second plastic bag, put a straw in and closed it up.  I literally was drinking out of a bag!

-The MRT Stations:  Wow.  Incredibly easy to use, the MRTs are air conditioned AND the stations have marble benches and marble floors.

-in some places, the escalators don't start moving until you approach them.  woah.

-at the movies, they give you a ticket with an actual seat number.  and you can get sweet corn as a snack (as in, what you'd get off of corn on the cob).  it was yummy.  I went to the movies to see Journey to the Center of the Earth, you know, because all the hype regarding the 3D movie!  Except the catch was, they didn't show it in 3D.  It was still entertaining...

Getting there is the hardest part of the journey

I board Malaysia Airlines Flight 91.  At once terrified, and yet, excitement slowly sweeps over me.  My eyes are burdened with the aftermath of a storm--but the healthy kind, that nurtures growth.

This plane is about desire ...

Oh wait, wrong story.  But seriously, for those of you who haven't seen The Point of No Return, this plane is amazing!  We've got women named Jenuoa passing around orange juice and hot towels before the plane even takes off!  Did I mention the flight staff are in tuxedos and the women are in silky skirts...ooh and there are two floors!  This is like Allure Airlines...but with class.  I'm in seat 55D if that gives you an idea of how large this plane is...but I did have an entire row of four seats to myself, which made sleep come easy for me.

My first act of civil disobedience:  I took the blanket and pillow--I couldn't resist, seeing as I have no real place to live nor sheets or pillows, I thought it might come in handy!  Plus, the blanket is a gorgeous royal purple.

Once in Singapore...24 hours and half a day later (I'm still having trouble coping with the fact that my friends and family at home are a half a day behind me) I find that my Hostel, Sleepy Sam's, is on a pedestrian only street.  It's actually quite a nice street...it transports you back to another time...on the outskirts of Little India, shops line the streets, lanterns descend from the roof, and there's a giant Sultan's Mosque at the end of the street.  I lugged my luggage in the pouring rain to the hostel, which has a welcoming coffee-shop feel to it.

I shower, I eat, I sleep.  And here I am, Tues morning, about to embark on an adventure.  Stay tuned!