Tag Archives: Singapore

If it's Thursday, it must be Singapore

We’re back on the island of fines and caning and well-ordered Chinese living Lee Kwon Yu style. We landed at Singapore customs just about 8 pm., which was just about right on time for the bus. The bus, the Odyssey, with promised wifi.

Sadly, with satellites and ground cover such as it is in a country that has a lot of trees and whatnot, internet was better than zero in a wifi-covered bus, but certainly not consistent.

Since a four hour bus-ride, dinner and a few cocktails on Clark’s Quay, I’m just about spent. I’m looking forward to sleeping the sleep of the near-dead. (And terminally polite, Singapore style.)

M. reports a great showerhead. Gotta wash some tropical heat and sweat off my brow.

Last day on the ancestral island

Last night had us sitting in the living room of M.’s old partner in crime from high school days. They reminisced about the old neighborhood and old friends, while he plied us with booze and Dunhill Lights.

Out of politeness, I found myself sipping Jack Daniels on the rocks with a splash of Coke.

Yup, so far here in Asia, I’ve danced along with “Achey Breaky Heart,” and I’ve sipped Kentucky bourbon. To say that U.S. cultcha is pervasive is a fucking understatement.

Today’s the last day for a lot of the family in visiting their hometown. We’re caravaning back to Kuala Lumpur, following an aunt and uncle and probably carrying a couple of cousins in the car. We’re the old cousins, almost the ages of the aunts and uncles, but hanging out with the young adults of the generation in which M. is the eldest.

We decided going to the national rainforest in Tamar Negara was a bit too far. Somehow, hiking with two pieces of luggage and the prospect of dubious pleasantries (such as a toilet) seems less fun than it did before we left home.

So, we’re hanging in the big city of KL for a couple of days, before spending our last day(s) in Singapore, at a four-star hotel with WiFi everywhere. Expect many photo uploads!

Must write fast

Last day in Singapore for this stretch. We’re taking an “almost as good as the first class” bus to Kuala Lumpur. So tonight, we dine with the KL relations.

Pretty much, this trip will consist of eating with various factions of the family involving various factions of cuisine. I think last night M. was indulging me. We went to the one restaurant on Orchard Road in Singapore’s hard core shopping district (and pretty much all of Singapore is about the shopping. In one word, Singapore = Mall) where white people were sitting. In fact, pretty much the whole clientele were of the pasty variety.

Earlier, we had a Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel (also a wholy Caucasion holding), where they were invented.

My coin-paid internet access is down to five minutes.

Fucking tired

I’m not sure if I can snap out of this great fatigue. Nope, instead I might perish on the spot with only a note to blow my ashes over Monterey.

My luggage finally fucking arrived at about 9 p.m. last night, while we were out dining with the family of Aunt #6. (I am determined to learn names this year, since I think I have the numerical order of the family down.)

It sucks wearing your boyfriend’s close (and mind you a wee tighter than I enjoy), whilst strolling the major shopping neighborhood in a major, fashionable, modern, consumerist city such as Singapore. We did buy an unlocked cell phone and SIM card to maintain radio contact with the relatives. But, I felt too disgusting, tired, frustrated and harassed by the equally jet lagged (but less like to admit it) boyo.

By the early evening, I just wanted to crawl my poorly clothed self into bed and sulk.

Although, dinner at an Indonesian restaurant was great with the Singaporean branch of the family, and they seemed to forgive my complete lack of fashion. I do so hate being the pseudo-wife dressed as a pseudo dyke.

It’s tomorrow, Monday, on this side of the world. Alas, the score for the Super Bowl didn’t time travel with us. Go Pats.

Overdue and fun-ish in list form

There’s a whole lot of shit I haven’t written out and tried to make all funny haha.  But rest assured there are teeny little glimmers of ideas bouncing in the vast, empty expanse I call my skull.

The best I can do:

 – M. has taken to getting T-shirts altered to his particular likes. 
 – M. makes me laugh.  Very, very much, in fact too much, like myself he struggles with his individuality.  We both think we blend in a very low-key one of the crowd way.  We don’t.
 – It looks like folks from a few jobs ago, and number 2 entry in my spectacularly fired from workplaces trilogy, might show up at the show I’m hosting.
 – Oh yeah, did I mention I’m hosting a show.  Comedy.  Funny.  Come on by.
 – Next week we head to Singapore and Malaysia.  I’m beginning the obsessive compulsive phase of traveling.  It begins with list making in my head.  I also am quite concerned that my underwear is ready for the international challenge.
 – Apropos the item above, my guilt is sinking in.  I mentioned a desire to see the rain forest.  I believe this wish will be met, but that accompanying us will be a subset of M.’s clan.  I had no intention that my whimsy would result in forcing his mother to a long march in the jungle.
 – Since Chinese is way above my intellectual capacity to learn, I thought I’d try Malay.  I have one week to actually take the book off our book shelf and learn a language.  Good planning.
 – Our guide book to Singapore says the slang for white person is “Ang Moh” around that neighborhood.  I think it’s Hokkien.  I asked M. for the word for “fat,” and it sounds something like bu-yo.  I’m going to be listening up for “bu-yo ang moh,” because this visit I’m chubbier and whiter than before.
 – If I hear a universal “Holy Shit” when I get off the plane, I know the prior item is correct.
 – Finally, there’s a whole slew of shit about work I could bitch about.  Suffice it to say — People is C-R-A-Z-Y (and generally, they annoy me.  People, all of them, that is.)