Gabe's Post - Brewerkz

Its Friday. We wake up in the morning. Get ready, go downstairs and get kaya toast and kopi. We say goodbye and go our separate ways, Michelle to a relaxing recovery day and me to an adventure. I ride my bike to Jurong Point mall (5 minute ride vs 30 minute walk), and wait up for Shreyas, Derek, and Basti. Derek and Basti bring three girls with them, Sarah, Sarah, and Christie. After some small talk, we hop on the MRT towards Chinatown. On the way we noticed several big malls, a really cool Sing Tell tower (there may be a picture), a Ferrari 458, and a nice metro station. This time it only took us 30 minutes to get to Chinatown.

By the way the purpose of this trip was a quest to find good reasonably priced beer.

It was a hot day, and Chinatown was pretty crowded. The girls wanted to go shopping and did not want to partake in beer questing so we split off. We got lunch, just dumpling noodle again, but it was very good, and headed off in the general direction of where we thought we wanted to go. It was a very weird part of town, everything was clean and large, but the streets were shady and there was almost no one there. There was, however, a very interesting temple on the way with even more carvings and statues then the Hindu temple in little India. Anyway, we got a little lost and ended up making a big loop but managed to find the place within a reasonable amount of time. Its by the river, in what I would consider to be the upscale touristy place. There is a big outdoor mall nearby with giant wind chimneys and semi-reflective panels to keep it all cool and refreshing.

The place for beer is called Brewerkz. They have about 12 in-house brewed beers of different types. The prices before 3 pm is 6-8 Singapore for a half a liter, which is about the pub prices in the US and Europe. The beer was delicious. I got the "White Rabbit" a hoppy wheat beer that was incredibly hopped, almost like a Pale Ale. Shreyas got a Belgian Strong that was very deliciously malty with fruity after tastes. Derek got the smoothest best tasting Pilsner I have ever had. And Basti got a very light drinkable dark lager. There was much talk and beer drinking and merry making. Then for our second rounds, Derek and I got some oatmeal stouts which was probably the smoothest best beer I have had, it had very nice coffee and chocolate. Shreyas tried a Raspberry Lager, which had too much of a lagery taste for me and was quite sour but still good. Basti got a Golden Ale, which was a very standard very beery beer.

After our two rounds and about an hour and a half we make our way out and start heading to the mrt. I realized I left my bag and we decide to split up, Derek and Basti going with the girls to the Singapore Flyer and me and Shreyas heading towards Chinatown after retrieving my bag. Chinatown itself was not what I expected. It was very touristy and the prices weren't very low, and Little India was in general more interesting. We did sample a few things we have already had in the US from H & L market, and managed to get lost once or twice. Really it was just tiring and hot, so we headed back at about 5:30. Shreyas was so tired he went to go nap at his dorm. I met Michelle at the mall and we got dinner at the Bread Talk bakery. I got a ham and cheese bread that tasted just like Portuguesa pizza, a cranberry cream cheese filled thing which was sweeter than I expected, and a yam and almond cinnamon role like thing, it was delicious. Michelle had her chicken garlic pizza and chicken hotdog thing (still tastes like bacon). We finished it off with some fruit I got for cheap at the market near our place. And I took a shower and blogged. I just checked my online banking and my bank refunded the 10 dollars they charged me for putting my debit card in an atm here and not withdrawing money.

Goodnight-lah

Gabe's Post - Orientation Day

Why hello. How is everyone today? Good, well me and Michelle had a very relaxed day today. We woke at 8:30 and prepared ourselves for our very first bike ride to school. This occurred without incident but did make clear how unconformable our seats are (soon we will be adorning our bikes with various cloths and towels in an attempt to soften the ride). There was a lot of construction on the way, forcing us to slow down, but we still made it in under 25 minutes -- by the way, all of Singapore is flat and very nice to ride bikes on; however, our campus is built on a series of hills (more like cliffs) which makes the terrain hard to navigate (buildings are often have 4 basement floors, all above ground). Today was temperate with a quite pleasant temperature and no rain.

Anyway, we arrived on campus. We decided to have breakfast near the auditorium where we would have our exchange program orientation at 10. Our choices where a canteen we had already eaten at, and McDonalds. We chose McDonalds (just to mix things up). Michelle had a McMuffin with no egg and orange juice, I had hotcakes and sausage with iced Milo. The sausage is not quite what we have in America, its bigger and white, leading me to believe it is mostly pork. The breakfast was satisfying and about the same price as it is in the States.

After breakfast we happened upon Shreyas and made our way into orientation. We had several speakers, all who sounded like they could be Georgia Tech math teachers. The dean of students was there and tried his best to scare us while keeping a smile on his face. We learned little, got a few phone numbers, and were released 2 hours later to a free buffet lunch and mingling with other Internationals. 3 things of note: we met some people (Derek, Heather, Basti), Canadians out number Americans and look and sounds more American than we do, they had napkins. First, the first is self explanitory. Second, the most represented countries in order are: Canada, USA, Sweden, UK, Hong Kong[sic], France. Third, this was the first time I have held a napkin since we got to Singapore. The buffet itself was mostly just hawker food of less quality and more quantity.

The festivities soon died down and we found ourselves trekking to Shreyas's place. It was nicer than I expected, but still a little cramped because of the size of all the furniture. Also his bathroom is very far away. We then left Shreyas's dorm and biked back home, a ride which took about 15 minutes (it was downhill). After cooling off, we talked to management and got a new microwave (ours was not working). To test the old microwave, the guy's first act was to put a pen in it and turn it on, thankfully it was truly broken. He then proceeded to check the socket, with a knife, and after a satisfying shock brought us a new microwave that worked fine (I prepared him a bowl of water to test it with).

Until about 7 pm, Michelle napped while I sat back and relaxed and read my book. Then, after rousing her, we biked to a new Hawker stand which lies half way between here and the mall near us. It is about a 15 minute walk which translated to a 4 minute bike ride. The stand is even smaller than the one right outside our hostel and had a noodle, a fish, a pick-some-number-of-items-and-we-will-put-it-on-a-plate-with-rice place, a drink and breakfast stand, a poultry stand, and an Indian stand. I was tempted to get Indian food, but remembering advice I received in the states, I decided to wait until I had an Indian who could order it for me. The noodle place was closed, and the pick-items places always scare me (too much communication, maybe when I know all the foods in Chinese). This left me with fish and poultry, so I joined Michelle on the poultry line. She got chicken rice, I got duck rice. If it hasn't been explained, poultry rice is just a ball of rice with strips of either duck or chicken on top and maybe a spoonful of sauce or broth. It was unremarkably delicious. Oh, and I was laughed at for the first time today. I tried order almond drink, which is apparently funny in Chinese because the young lady behind the counter laughed and tried to sell me cigarettes. The old lady in the back yelled at her and called me as I was about to leave and asked if I wanted Ice Kopi. I said yes and sat down.

On the way back, we stopped by the market near our place (just outside). I had gone there early that day but it was Michelle's first time. It is a very nice place with cheaper stuff than Fair Price in the mall. The coolest part was the fresh meats and fruits though. They had all sorts of awesome meats, from duck gizzards to live fish to beef to pork brains. And their fruit was awesome, 1.70 for a kilo of mandarin oranges, the same for mangosteins, 2.90 per kilo of tiny sweet limes, 2.50 per kilo of tomatoes, 1.75 for 7 large oranges, 2.00 for 8 bananas, and so on. It was all cheap, all fresh, and what we bought was delicious. As a side note, I bought chrysanthemum tea, which reminds me of something I had before (probably chrysanthemum tea) but I can't tell for sure.

Anyway, its about time for bed. Or at least this is as much awake as I am doing today.

Goodnight-lah.

Week One

Today was a long day.  It's been a long week. I can't believe we've been here a week.

We woke up and went to campus, where we had lunch at one of the canteens. It was mediocre, but good if you consider that it was college campus cafeteria food. Then we went over to the sociology building and I talked to an awesome professor who is going to help me get my classes. He's the "token American" and is from Chattanooga! He was really helpful and nice. Hopefully I'll get my classes.

In the Chinatown mall

Then we headed over to Chinatown, which was interesting.  It was all decorated for the Chinese New Year in red and gold. It was really pretty. They had a lot of cool shops - mostly selling cell phones and cameras.  My Blackberry Torch is worth more than a thousand dollars here.  Conversely, they have camera lenses for really cheap.  I think I might have to get one before I leave.

We didn't spend much time in Chinatown since it seems like a better place for Shreyas and Gabe to visit together. Gabe and I went to the mall and had lunch (he had ramen and I had wonton noodle soup) and then participated in a true Singapore tradition - going to the movies.  We saw Sherlock Holmes, which was fantastic.  The weird things are as follows:

They assign seating like at sporting events or fancy plays and stuff.
Their advertisements were nearly all directed towards women or older men.
Popcorn is super expensive and comes in two flavors: salty and sweet.

We hit up the grocery store and then headed back to the apartment. We needed bicycles, so we went over to Boon Lay shopping center and got two red bikes and locks and rode them back before dinner. They're not bad, but not super fancy. I think it's the first time I've ever had a brand-new bike. I like my bike back home more; cobbled together from the best bits of other bicycles.  =]

Gabe went to dinner when we got back and I had a lovely conversation with several people from home. I miss everyone, but I'm excited to be here and definitely having fun.  Now it's time for bed. Orientation tomorrow and something else... I guess I'll remember when we do it.

Goodnight-la.

Long Day

So today we woke up and had breakfast at the hawker stand - toast with kaya and eggs and tea and chocolate.  While we were there, we made a list of all the things we wanted to do in Singapore, as well as some of the places we want to go.  When we got back, we signed our contract for the apartment and got our address! Here it is:

Block 17

Jalan Bahar West Avenue 5 #03-24

Singapore 649491

The view from the library

Then we went to campus and walked around, ate lunch at Canteen One (very good) and opened a bank account. The bank was really cool and had good rates for students, and is right next to the library.  We did then go to the library, which is circular and awesome. When we were done in the library, we headed back to the apartment with Shreyas and hung out for a while. The boys went out for dinner and I stayed in. More foreign food still doesn't sound like a great idea for me, but Gabe enjoyed.

My lunch - very Western... Pork chops that were delicious

Here's Gabe on dinner: 

Gabe (me) had unexciting chicken curry (which was still very good) and an Ice Kopi (thick Malaysian coffee with condensed milk). Shreyas was there and had the Bibimbob, which is currently the best thing I have had here. It is a bunch of vegetables, a meat, and a Korean spicy sauce mixed together. To drink he had a sour plum and lime juice, which was both sour       and pickled and quite unpleasant. But most important, for dessert I got an Ice Kacang. It is a   bowl with a heap of flaked ice over grass, rose, and lychee gel cubes, covered on three sides with three different syrups: rose, molasses, and melon. To top it off, it had whole unsweetened red beans, and sweetened corn. It was beyond interesting.

We walked over to the mall after dinner to take Shreyas to the train stop, and we got a bus to go look at a bicycle. The bicycle wasn't very nice, but it was in a cool part of town. There was a street market outside the block where the guy had the bike, and it had carnival games and food as well as purses and bags and stuff. It was cool. I think we're going back tomorrow since we found a shop across the street that sold bikes, but it was closed for the night. Bicycles are expensive here.  Used ones are in the several hundred dollar range, so we're probably going to get new ones that are less expensive and just sell them when we leave.

We came back and now it's time for bed.

Goodnight-la.

Relaxing day

We went to Toast Box with Shreyas and spent the morning in the mall. We tried to get phones, but will have to get them tomorrow since you have to have a passport to get a phone number. Anyways, we spent a long time there and ended up staying until after lunch. Gabe got a really yummy hotstone something or other, I had pizza from a bakery and some really good fresh fruit with kiwi juice and Shreyas had a pork and chicken curry.  After lunch, we continued to walk around...

Peanut butter toast and butter and sugar (Gabe's and mine)

You get soft-boiled eggs with EVERYTHING!

Pork and Chicken Curry

Hot stone something or other

They have this REALLY COOL place called The Icing Room, and you can decorate your own cake! I did a little four-inch one:

Before

After

We brought it home and had it for dessert after dinner.  It was vanilla with fruit in it. Pretty much the entire afternoon was reading, napping and computering. It rained for the first time, pretty much since 3:30 and it's still raining. We went over to the hawker stand near our hostel where Gabe had his best meal yet (bibimbow, which is a Korean dish) and I had mediocre duck and rice. Now it's time for a movie and bed.

Goodnight-la.

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. =]

Satay!

Gabe's wonton noodles

Spicy Octopus and Fish Head (Shreyas)

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 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.)

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.