Bintan, Indonesia

Last weekend, continuing birthday week/month, I hopped a ferry to Indonesia. I went from the island of Singapore, to the nearby island of Bintan, Indonesia. Bintan is a quick and cheap holiday getaway. After a two and-a-half hour ferry ride, and $10 USD at the other end, you have yourself a visa and entrance into a whole ‘nother country! I booked a package that included round trip ferry, ground transportation, a one night-stay at a beach side resort, and breakfast, lunch and dinner, included. As soon as I stepped through customs, a nice woman approaches and says, “Stephanie?” Come with me. And my Bintan adventure began.

There was a long van ride to the resort, which I enjoyed immensely. As the resort is on the other side of the island, I got a tour of Bintan through the back seat of this van. It felt like a cross between Cambodia and Palua Ubin—much less developed then Singapore, but slightly more advanced then the Cambodian country-side. Every so often there’s be a random big estate thrown in, which didn’t fit in with the rest of the ambiance.

The resort I went to was called Agro Beach Resort and Spa. Upon arrival, they give you a glass of orange juice and a receptionist personally escorts you to your room. My room was surprisingly nice. I had my own private patio, which extended onto the beach, and overlooked the pier. It was low tide so there wasn’t much water, though I was boggled by the fact that in a matter of hours, the boats went from being stuck in the sand to floating on water. (I mean, I went into dinner and when I came back, water had suddenly appeared!)

After arriving, I went straight to lunch. The dining room overlooked the beach as well, and playing in the background, I kid you not, was the theme song from The Godfather! I was surprised at the amount/quality of food I got for free! There was fish ball soup (which is big in Singapore, but I never tried it until Indonesia); chicken nuggets; and a plate of fish in lemon sauce, white rice and fried egg. It came with both an iced tea and fresh watermelon juice.

I spent the next few hours sitting on my patio writing my screenplay. Isn’t that every writer’s dream? To sit quietly by the beach and write your screenplay? (Admittedly, if I were there more than a few days, I probably would be bored of that lifestyle…but you get my drift.)

I then went to the spa to get a Traditional Javanese Aromatherapy Body Treatment (according to the brochure, this means jaquzi, boreh scrub, body massage and bath). While it was nice, and the atmosphere was relaxing, it was really quite silly. They spend a half an hour rubbing your body in this disgusting goo. I guess it’s supposed to be cleansing, but I felt gross. Then you have to take a shower to wash it off. That’s when I noticed it looked like my body was covered in dirt. Maneuvering in the shower isn’t the easiest thing either, cause you have to hold the shower head with one hand and the scrub with the other.

Then came the full body massage, which was nice, but not spectacular. I got a much better message for $7 in that sketchy place in Cambodia.

Then they draw you a bath. I couldn’t help but laugh when I looked into the tub: I was stepping into what looked like a bathtub soaked in blood. (Now the Godfather music at lunch was starting to make sense) A blood bath?! It looked like a horror movie! (Either that or a Giantess going through her cycle…) But kidding aside, it was some kind of fragrant oil, that just so happened to be the color of blood… Once over the whole Psycho aspect of it, it was really quite nice. But then after ten minutes of soaking, you shower again. (Get rid of the evidence, you know.) But seriously, another shower was a bit overkill at this point. I was over the whole water thing.

After my two-hour spa experience, I headed to dinner. For a mere $2, I got upgraded to the “fancy” dining room. This was a restaurant on the pier…on stilts, I think they call those structures kampong in Malay. The meal was amazing. It was a five-course meal! Soup (chicken corn)—de-licious! And then rice with three dishes: sweet/sour mix with pineapple, chicken, onions, peppers; mixed veggies with shrimp; prawns with chili peppers and sautéed onions; for dessert: a large plate of watermelon and pineapple, probably the freshest, sweetest fruit I’ve ever tasted! I read “The Importance of Being Ernest” as I dined.

The next day I woke up to have my free breakfast—like the two meals that proceeded it, this was both filling and tasty. Buffet style—there was chicken curry and a bunch of other unidentifiable dishes (I’m still not sure what distinguishes this from lunch…) and of course, my favorite was the make-your-own Kaya Toast station! After breakfast, I went back to my patio and wrote more of my screenplay. I read some August Wilson and put on my bathing suit, lounged on the beach reading Barthes’ “A Lover’s Discourse” and then took a quick dip in the pool. (It’s crazy to think that I’m swimming after my birthday in November!) I went back to the spa for foot reflexology. For this, they put you on a lounge chair outside on the beach. The woman who massaged me this time was named Zarah. She was very friendly, spoke very little English, but enjoyed trying. She told me that she was 28 and married, with one kid (after of course, asking me if I was married. hahBintan.

I returned on a ferry that afternoon. It was pouring. I don’t just mean “raindrops keep falling on my head.” It’s monsoon season. This was heavy-duty rain. Like I’ve said before, rain: It’s inevitable.

Once back on the island of Singapore, I was ready to start my week again: I was rested, I was relaxed, and I was ready to go!

Cuba, why not?

So much time goes by and so much to talk about! First, let me tell you about my birthday. Yes, on November 12th, I, Stephanie Gardner, turned 23. I'll be honest, it feels no different than 22, just a little more legitimacy. Not to rub it in, but it feels good to be 23, especially in grad school! I feel like I have my whole life ahead of me! Before I even see 25 I'll have a masters degree (provided that all goes well in the next year and a half)! So really, things are looking up!

Now, as you know, I like to celebrate my birthday in style. And that is precisely what I did. I will admit, 22 was hard to beat. And I didn't have quite the same people to share it with, but the people who celebrated 22 with me were people I spent 4 years building a relationship with, and that's pretty special. However, I got quite a nice turnout for 23, considering I've only been here for 3 months!

Mansita and I hosted a 1920's Havana, Cuba Birthday Party. Considering we were both turning into twenty-somethings, we wanted to celebrate the 20's, in the 20's. And what better place than Cuba? There just so happens to be a restaurant/bar here called Cuba Libre (not to be confused with the Philly or Atlantic City restaurants under the same name). So I got my fix of mojitos and live Cuban music, which was definitely the highlight of the event. Most of the DDW department was present, including my screenwriting prof and her family. And having the chair of the DDW depart (Richard, our good mentor) enter dancing on the scene, was certainly a highlight of the evening. He danced the night away, and taught me how to salsa, mamba, and cha cha cha, it couldn't have been better! Additionally, an expat friend who originated from my hometown (the son of my mom's good friend) showed up and provided enough drinks to last us through the night. This was a wonderful addition to our party! Everybody had a good time, and I can honestly say, that it was good wholesome fun.

Birthday week, (well, month), continued to Wednesday, where I got a cake and rose in class. (See pictures of the DDW class!) That night, after drinking a nice bottle of wine, (no, I just had a glass, I shared, don't worry!), and after dim sum with my roommates, my roommate Susie and I went to a jazz club, which was a delightful way to end my birthday! The vocalist sang Happy Birthday, and despite growing up in a musical family, this was possibly the best rendition of Happy Birthday I've ever received!

And to really celebrate my birthday, I treated myself to a nice holiday weekend on the island of Bintan, Indonesia. My next post will detail the accounts of this trip! Don't worry, with all this fun, I still manage to get in some good hard work, too!

Anamolies of Singapore

Exotic? I think not.


Many of us Westerners have conjured up romantic notions of Singapore. It’s tropical… it’s exotic… it must be some island paradise…

Straight out of a Sommerset Maughm novel, right?

Warning:

Do not be fooled: This is not the Jungle. This is Tisch Asia. Yes, this is the campus I spend 12 hours a day at. But wanna know something funny? This is not Singapore. In fact, it’s the only censor-free zone in this tiny city-state island! And it may look like a jungle, but I assure you, this is not the Singapore of the 21st century.

Jungle fever? Let's take a trip to the future...






Welcome to modern-day Singapore. But please, step inside this shopping mall first to cool off. Oh wait, you’re already in the shopping mall, I suppose; that’s where the MRT, or bus, or taxi dropped us off, isn’t it?

What you're looking at is the real, or should I say, surreal Singapore. Did you know that most of Singapore's beaches are man made? I heard a rumor that sand was taken from the shores of Indonesia in the middle of the night to create the beaches of Singapore.

But back to VivoCity: “Singapore’s largest retail and lifestyle destination.” Take a step inside... (see photos on your left) ...

And in case you were wondering, (according to their website) “VivoCity is derived from the word, ‘vivocity,’ evoking a lifestyle experience that is modern, stimulating, and accessible to everyone, a place bubbling with energy and flowing with vitality.”



All you have to do is take a look at the SkyPark, within VivoCity: take a stroll in the wading pool… why not when all these fun sculptures await. Is that a yellow whale? And I think I see a Christmas tree!



Oh wait, there’s the Giant Snowman Sculpture…And no folks, this isn't a Christmas decoration, that’s there 12 months a year…despite the 90 degree heat...

In the distance you can see the cable cars that take you to Sentosa Island, Singapore's idea of a vacation, more like a tourist trap, or a Chuck E. Cheese for adults.

Apparently, you can opt to have a three course meal in the cable car, but that requires you to do the 35 minute (round trip) cable car ride three times in a row! One does have to wonder, though, what if you have to go to the bathroom?

Some more pictures just for fun… and if you can explain half this stuff to me, I’ll be impressed.












































And let’s not forget the playground!

Christmas in July

Next subject: Christmas in July. Oh wait, it’s October. It’s just this heat…it feels like perpetual summer! I must admit, it feels weird to me to be seeing Christmas decorations up in October. (See Tanglin Mall, for one example.) But c'est la vie. Christmas is just around the corner if you really think about it… and here we don’t have Thanksgiving to let pass before the big Christmas stuff goes up…

The Dramatic Eight...Just you Wait!

This picture is iconic of our class. Wendy, our beloved screenwriting professor, front and center, of course. It was her Birthday! Then you’ve got me, looking suspiciously normal; LiLin, the great Singaporean film director behind me; Jill, our class rep; to Jill's left is Antoinette, hiding in the background with that look of, “you don’t know what I’m thinking ‘cause I never talk, but you better believe it’s one amazing thought!”; Jessika, a woman of many talents and mother of four to boot; and to Jessika's left, our token boys, Garret and Ken,who's expressions say it all! Mansita, not surprisingly is MIA from the picture, she always seems to disappear, and we never know when or how she’ll arrive … but she’s there... somewhere.