Satay!
Gabe's wonton noodles
Spicy Octopus and Fish Head (Shreyas)
Food montage tomorrow. We're going to relax. Breakfast at the mall with Shreyas and seeing the public library.
Goodnight-la.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Your morning, My night
We all met up and went to the mall for dinner. We didn't get ramen (too expensive and not quite what we were expecting) but we did go to a food court and I finally got my satay (I've tried three times and they've always been closed). It was delicious. It came with curried rice and a fried egg thing and miso and peanut sauce. By far my best meal here. =]
We walked around after dinner. There was a movie theater which we may go to tomorrow since it's $6.50 before 6PM for students Monday through Wednesday. They had good movies. And the smell of popcorn was overwhelming (ps, they do have microwave popcorn, but only American brands that are imported, but surprisingly not that expensive...). It was late so we came back, Gabe's showering and I'm going to bed.
Food montage tomorrow. We're going to relax. Breakfast at the mall with Shreyas and seeing the public library.
Goodnight-la.
Food montage tomorrow. We're going to relax. Breakfast at the mall with Shreyas and seeing the public library.
Goodnight-la.
Food and Apartments
So... I chickened out and got McDonald's for breakfast. My McMuffin, hashbrown and iced Milo were good. Milo is a chocolate drink, almost like chocolate milk, which is super common here and really good. Then we went to our new hostel...
This is our living room. The dark framed door is the bedroom and the other is the kitchen.
Our tiny bathroom... is like a hallway.
Our kitchen (pre-adding food)...
Our room (pre-unpacking)...
The kitchen, next to the bedroom...
Our little patio with the kitchen on right and bathroom on left.
Our little patio with a view.
We left and went to Shreyas's cousin's, but they weren't there, so we went shopping to get necessities and food, and then came back to the hostel and cleaned and unpacked. Now we're just relaxing. We're going out to dinner later at a ramen place with Shreyas and then we might be going to the night zoo... We'll see.
Goodbye-la.
PS. "la" is a common thing that Singaporeans say whenever they're speaking -la. They use it like a period -la. Shreyas is the only one who's heard anyone say la -la. So now sometimes we speak saying la at the end of everything -la. It's kindof a petting the tiger mood that makes us do it -la. (That was for Sophie -la.)
This is our living room. The dark framed door is the bedroom and the other is the kitchen.
Our tiny bathroom... is like a hallway.
Our kitchen (pre-adding food)...
Our room (pre-unpacking)...
Our little patio with the kitchen on right and bathroom on left.
Our little patio with a view.
We left and went to Shreyas's cousin's, but they weren't there, so we went shopping to get necessities and food, and then came back to the hostel and cleaned and unpacked. Now we're just relaxing. We're going out to dinner later at a ramen place with Shreyas and then we might be going to the night zoo... We'll see.
Goodbye-la.
PS. "la" is a common thing that Singaporeans say whenever they're speaking -la. They use it like a period -la. Shreyas is the only one who's heard anyone say la -la. So now sometimes we speak saying la at the end of everything -la. It's kindof a petting the tiger mood that makes us do it -la. (That was for Sophie -la.)
Early morning update!
Well, just a few quick words before breakfast. (We're going to a hawker stand, so this should be interesting. I don't think I want dumplings and noodles for breakfast...)
We went to a grocery store to explore last night, and they had everything imaginable. Kraft Mac and Cheese, Ragu, Cadbury's, Guilians (Belgian Chocolate), ranch dressing, Mars Bars, Barellies pasta (or however you spell it), Chewy Bars, every single type of cereal (Capt Crunch, Honey Bunches of Oats, Pops), Quaker Oatmeal, Marmite, Bovril, St. Ives, all the major bathroom brands... EVERYTHING.
We don't know why we brought anything.
We went to a grocery store to explore last night, and they had everything imaginable. Kraft Mac and Cheese, Ragu, Cadbury's, Guilians (Belgian Chocolate), ranch dressing, Mars Bars, Barellies pasta (or however you spell it), Chewy Bars, every single type of cereal (Capt Crunch, Honey Bunches of Oats, Pops), Quaker Oatmeal, Marmite, Bovril, St. Ives, all the major bathroom brands... EVERYTHING.
We don't know why we brought anything.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Happy New Years!
Only an hour away, but I'm exhausted.
To continue: Shreyas was back when we came back from lunch, so we went over to the Chinese and Japanese gardens, which were really pretty and nice, but very hot.
We came back after a while chilled until his cousin came back. Then we went to dinner at a "healthy" hawker stand (brown rice instead of white) and then came back and chilled again before Shreyas, his cousin, and his cousin's roommate left for a big New Year's Eve musical party/festival. They had gotten tickets, but Gabe and I went to the mall instead to see what it was like. It was big. Like every non-American mall we've been in.
Anyways. We move into our new long-term hostel tomorrow. It's apparently really super close to the school, which is good.
Goodnight-la.
To continue: Shreyas was back when we came back from lunch, so we went over to the Chinese and Japanese gardens, which were really pretty and nice, but very hot.
We came back after a while chilled until his cousin came back. Then we went to dinner at a "healthy" hawker stand (brown rice instead of white) and then came back and chilled again before Shreyas, his cousin, and his cousin's roommate left for a big New Year's Eve musical party/festival. They had gotten tickets, but Gabe and I went to the mall instead to see what it was like. It was big. Like every non-American mall we've been in.
Pineapple fried rice - mmm
Vegetarian mutton something or other (Gabe's)
Shreyas's food - I don't remember...
Goodnight-la.
Updates
While I was standing in my cold shower this morning, I was thinking about things...
One of the great things about Singapore is the fact that you can take a cold shower and still be sweating before you even get dressed. Also, clothes are warmer off the body than on. And the food is unrecognizable. And it's going to be summer for all five months... So maybe those things are not so great. But I am really enjoying being here.
It's a great big city with lots of different cultures and it's definitely cool.
Gabe said that dinner was uninteresting last night, he went somewhere and got something spicy and it was good. He went to bed as soon as he came back.
This morning we checked out and headed over to Shreyas's cousin's apartment since the hostel will be full, and tomorrow we'll move into our long-term apartment. We went and got food from the near-by hawker stand, and neither Gabe nor I finished our lunches. Mine was a weird flavor of ramen with wontons and he got fish ball soup, which, oddly enough, tasted of fish. (He doesn't like fish...) Then we came back and met Shreyas and I think we're going to head to a mall soon.
I presume most everyone is sleeping, so, goodnight-la.
One of the great things about Singapore is the fact that you can take a cold shower and still be sweating before you even get dressed. Also, clothes are warmer off the body than on. And the food is unrecognizable. And it's going to be summer for all five months... So maybe those things are not so great. But I am really enjoying being here.
It's a great big city with lots of different cultures and it's definitely cool.
Gabe said that dinner was uninteresting last night, he went somewhere and got something spicy and it was good. He went to bed as soon as he came back.
This morning we checked out and headed over to Shreyas's cousin's apartment since the hostel will be full, and tomorrow we'll move into our long-term apartment. We went and got food from the near-by hawker stand, and neither Gabe nor I finished our lunches. Mine was a weird flavor of ramen with wontons and he got fish ball soup, which, oddly enough, tasted of fish. (He doesn't like fish...) Then we came back and met Shreyas and I think we're going to head to a mall soon.
I presume most everyone is sleeping, so, goodnight-la.
Friday, December 30, 2011
First day
I promise I'll have better post titles in the future. It's 1AM here and I just woke up, having fallen asleep around 6:30....
Today (yesterday?) was pretty cool. We got up around 8 and we had breakfast at the hostel - coffee or tea with toast and fruit.
The fruits here were normal except for one; watermelon, oranges and dragonfruit. Dragonfruit is white with black seeds, having both the texture amd taste resembling a kiwi. We alsoo had toast with mostly normal items. Peanut butter, jam and butter were offered, as well as a green jam sort of thing that we both have forgotten the name for but is some sort of leaf mixed with coconut, I think. (Update: it's called kaya.) We walked down to Little India and found Mustafas, where we changed money but didn't shop at yet. Instead, we went in all the little shops along the road. They kindof reminded me of Belgium around Grand Place. We had agreed to meet Shreyas at the hostel for lunch, so we headed back, but only after stopping in a few tailor's shops first...
The first place we stopped was in a shopping open air market sort of thing. The second was across the main street in its own little building/storefront. The first said $350 or so and the second gave Gabe a ten mminute lecture on how the price of a suit depends on how you make it and the quality. The guy was nice, and we learned a lot, and Gabe is now going to research suits and fabric amd everything.
We came back and found Shreyas and headed back to Little India. We ate at our first hawker stand, where Gabe and I had lamian with dumplings and Shreyas had green curry chicken. Lamian is essentially ramen, as far as we can tell, and it was hand-made in front of us right before we ate it. Very cool.
We kept going and got to Mustafas, which is about seven stories covering two city blocks... it's massive and has everything. It seemed fairly expensive for some things (electronics) and cheap for others (everything else). We kept walking through Little India after spending a couple hours at Mustafas, finding an awesome Hindu temple and another shopping place called Tekka. I got a dress/shirt top thing that was really cute and we also got some food. Gabe got a sugar cane juice (yuck) and I got fried Indian bread called buhtan (maybe? Shreyas needs to confirm). We walked back from there and stopped at City Mall, which was fairly western. Burger King, Micky D's, Subway, KFC, Long John Silvers and some other places, as well as a ton of Asian and Indian food. We stopped at BK and got a taro turnover that was really good.
When we got back to the hostel around 6:30, we were both exhausted feom walking around so much and being in such sweltering weather. I was going to take just a nap, but refused to get up when Gabe wanted diinner, so he went alone and was back when I woke up just now. I'll ask him to write in the morning. I'm going to find something to eat and go back to sleep.
Goodnight, world.
Today (yesterday?) was pretty cool. We got up around 8 and we had breakfast at the hostel - coffee or tea with toast and fruit.
The fruits here were normal except for one; watermelon, oranges and dragonfruit. Dragonfruit is white with black seeds, having both the texture amd taste resembling a kiwi. We alsoo had toast with mostly normal items. Peanut butter, jam and butter were offered, as well as a green jam sort of thing that we both have forgotten the name for but is some sort of leaf mixed with coconut, I think. (Update: it's called kaya.) We walked down to Little India and found Mustafas, where we changed money but didn't shop at yet. Instead, we went in all the little shops along the road. They kindof reminded me of Belgium around Grand Place. We had agreed to meet Shreyas at the hostel for lunch, so we headed back, but only after stopping in a few tailor's shops first...
The first place we stopped was in a shopping open air market sort of thing. The second was across the main street in its own little building/storefront. The first said $350 or so and the second gave Gabe a ten mminute lecture on how the price of a suit depends on how you make it and the quality. The guy was nice, and we learned a lot, and Gabe is now going to research suits and fabric amd everything.
We came back and found Shreyas and headed back to Little India. We ate at our first hawker stand, where Gabe and I had lamian with dumplings and Shreyas had green curry chicken. Lamian is essentially ramen, as far as we can tell, and it was hand-made in front of us right before we ate it. Very cool.
We kept going and got to Mustafas, which is about seven stories covering two city blocks... it's massive and has everything. It seemed fairly expensive for some things (electronics) and cheap for others (everything else). We kept walking through Little India after spending a couple hours at Mustafas, finding an awesome Hindu temple and another shopping place called Tekka. I got a dress/shirt top thing that was really cute and we also got some food. Gabe got a sugar cane juice (yuck) and I got fried Indian bread called buhtan (maybe? Shreyas needs to confirm). We walked back from there and stopped at City Mall, which was fairly western. Burger King, Micky D's, Subway, KFC, Long John Silvers and some other places, as well as a ton of Asian and Indian food. We stopped at BK and got a taro turnover that was really good.
When we got back to the hostel around 6:30, we were both exhausted feom walking around so much and being in such sweltering weather. I was going to take just a nap, but refused to get up when Gabe wanted diinner, so he went alone and was back when I woke up just now. I'll ask him to write in the morning. I'm going to find something to eat and go back to sleep.
Goodnight, world.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Hello, Singapore!
Well, where do I begin?
We left Chicago at 12 Central and just got into Singapore at 12 this time (there's no real name for this time zone) and we're 13 hours difference from Charleston. So. Wow.
The Changi airport is AMAZING! There are plants everywhere and it's super clean. Even at night, everything in Singapore glitters and shines. The streets are wide and clean, but it has an air of London, which as my past readers know, is not a particularly good thing. I'm sure in the morning things will look nicer. We're meeting Shreyas and his cousin tomorrow morning and going shopping in Little India. His cousin met us at the airport, which was super nice and very helpful. The hostel isn't bad, but it's like walking into a sauna when you go outside. I am in bed writing om my new nook since my computer died and I can't get to my converter. Sorry for any typos.
The flights weren't bad. Chicago to Tokyo was 13 hours, and Gabe and I watched Reel Steel (good) and One Day (bad), slept, read, and that's about it. It was an old-school plane, so one movie at a time and no control, but it wasn't so bad. The flight from Tokyo to Singapore was 7 hours on the same plane, but we had to get off and clear security. It was also nice airport, and we wished we had yen for the drink machines. I slept the whole flight. Immigration was easy and we got to our hostel fairly quickly. Photos will be on facebook tomorrow. The time difference is throwing me off, but it's time for bed.
Goodnight, world (until I think of something better).
We left Chicago at 12 Central and just got into Singapore at 12 this time (there's no real name for this time zone) and we're 13 hours difference from Charleston. So. Wow.
The Changi airport is AMAZING! There are plants everywhere and it's super clean. Even at night, everything in Singapore glitters and shines. The streets are wide and clean, but it has an air of London, which as my past readers know, is not a particularly good thing. I'm sure in the morning things will look nicer. We're meeting Shreyas and his cousin tomorrow morning and going shopping in Little India. His cousin met us at the airport, which was super nice and very helpful. The hostel isn't bad, but it's like walking into a sauna when you go outside. I am in bed writing om my new nook since my computer died and I can't get to my converter. Sorry for any typos.
The flights weren't bad. Chicago to Tokyo was 13 hours, and Gabe and I watched Reel Steel (good) and One Day (bad), slept, read, and that's about it. It was an old-school plane, so one movie at a time and no control, but it wasn't so bad. The flight from Tokyo to Singapore was 7 hours on the same plane, but we had to get off and clear security. It was also nice airport, and we wished we had yen for the drink machines. I slept the whole flight. Immigration was easy and we got to our hostel fairly quickly. Photos will be on facebook tomorrow. The time difference is throwing me off, but it's time for bed.
Goodnight, world (until I think of something better).
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
On our way
Well, I knew there was something I was supposed to be doing.... Oops. We have to get on our plane soon.
Gabe and I are in the President's Lounge for United/Continental. Talked our way in, but free food and internet.
Super early morning, but we're about to leave for Singapore. Twenty-four hours! Twenty-two of those on a plane! Yay! (Not...) I already miss home, but am excited to be traveling again.
We'll meet Shreyas in Tokyo, and then we're staying at a cute little hostel in the heart of Singapore. The problem with my camera is that it's too big to carry around and therefore we've started taking pictures with Gabe's cell phone. The Chicago airport is really nice - big and open with lots of windows and really clean. The walkways have cool lights on the ceiling and I think I've heard "Fireworks" by Katy Perry about five times. But there's one huge problem - there are NO OUTLETS! Makes it hard to charge things before we leave. Also, Gabe's got a lot of static for some reason though, and keeps shocking himself and his computer and me.
Anyways, time to pack up and ship out.
Someone needs to recommend a new catch-phrase... "Goodnight, world" was for my last trip.
Us leaving from the airport at 5AM.
Super early morning, but we're about to leave for Singapore. Twenty-four hours! Twenty-two of those on a plane! Yay! (Not...) I already miss home, but am excited to be traveling again.
We'll meet Shreyas in Tokyo, and then we're staying at a cute little hostel in the heart of Singapore. The problem with my camera is that it's too big to carry around and therefore we've started taking pictures with Gabe's cell phone. The Chicago airport is really nice - big and open with lots of windows and really clean. The walkways have cool lights on the ceiling and I think I've heard "Fireworks" by Katy Perry about five times. But there's one huge problem - there are NO OUTLETS! Makes it hard to charge things before we leave. Also, Gabe's got a lot of static for some reason though, and keeps shocking himself and his computer and me.
Anyways, time to pack up and ship out.
Someone needs to recommend a new catch-phrase... "Goodnight, world" was for my last trip.
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