Hey from Singapore.
Monday, February 27, 2005
don't look back in anger... even if the gallaghers are obviously kind of jerks
One of the stories I'm working on now requires me to interview a lot of teenage girls. I've really loved it -- the girls here seem so much cooler and competent than I ever was as a kid -- and it's also completely reinforced my long-held belief that I am physically about 10 years older than I am mentally. Exhibit A -- a typical sample from a recent interview:
Me: So what kind of things -- like TV shows, movies, clothing -- do you like?
Girl: Well, I really like American Idol, especially the people who sing really badly.
Me: Me too!
Girl: I always shop at Forever 21 and Topshop.
Me: Me TOO!
Girl: And I love my pink iPod.
Me: Me TOO!!
Girl: And that actor Jake Gyllenhaal.
Me: [superexcited now] ME TOO!!
Don't worry, I do manage to maintain some (slight) level of professionalism. Still, I think it's clearly time for me to put my true skills to work and get a job editing a teen magazine or something.
I only have a few pics as the stomach ailments kept me indoors nearly all weekend, cancelling our adventures to tiny remote islands (booooooo). But, it's okay: I like to think that I'm building up the gastrointestinal system for bigger and better things, especially since I just got an assignment to go to India at the end of March. Hooray! I've been dying to get back there since my trip last March. This time, I'll be going for nearly three weeks, and even though the amount of work I'm planning to do is somewhat astronomical, I'm completely excited. (Of course, it won't be nearly the same without Ritu and Vinay and Chester, but I do promise to take more pictures this time.) Bring on the dahl!
In the meantime, however, I'm off to Bangkok for the week. I'll be joined on Friday by some very fun people, so debauchery (possibly fueled by free-flow mojito brunches) will no doubt occur. I can't wait!
pretty new riverfront dining options are being discovered every day!
time to rock. whooooo!
LCD screens are the new lighters, you know.
and then more riverfront options! (yep, that orange one is singapore's very own hooters)
and, just in case any of you are up for it, they do have reverse bungee here.
can you even believe it's almost march already?
Friday, February 24, 2005
OK kids, here we go! Pictures of the new place, available for a very, very limited time only (because though I want you -- and my mom -- to know I don't live in a hovel, I sort of hate putting photos on my place on the Internet. No one rob me, okay?) Update: And they're gone. Hope you had a chance to catch them! If you missed them and you're very, very sad, send an e-mail. And now, I go back to my regularly scheduled Bollywood watching. I have some sort of stomach ailment of unknown origin -- food poisoning? virus? that delicious steak frites dinner? (oh, I hope not!) -- and so am laying low and eating bread right now.
In other news, you (and my dad, I'm sure) may be happy to know I've been working hard all week (the downside is, I haven't taken many photos. And I didn't even get to party with Oasis!) But weather permitting, we're hoping to head out to one of the little islands near Singapore this weekend, where you can hike and bike -- and take photos -- around the little fishing villages. Have I mentioned how happy it makes me to live in a place where outdoor activity is an option? Beijing smog, you are not missed.
And in more other news, a big thanks to Kurt for highly recommending Avenue Q awhile back. Of course, I downloaded the soundtrack immediately, but am finally just listening to it right now. It's amazing! Who wants to try and get tickets when I'm back in the States in April? Because I really doubt the Singapore censors are going to allow it to tour here anytime soon.
Monday, February 20, 2006
I was on deadline for a story all weekend, which meant that instead of a nice, three-day weekend like other good little Americans, I had just one fun day of adventures followed by two days of being attached to my computer, making weird noises and working out the piece. (I'd never realized before how many sounds I make when writing until I had someone else at home to make me notice it. Turns out that my writing process involves quite a lot of strange grunting and talking out loud to myself, which is much more effective when other people aren't around to ask, "What? Are you talking to me?")
All work and no play makes for very poor pictures, but there are good things ahead. The nice artwork-hanging people come tomorrow morning, after which I will finally be ready to photograph the apartment for you all to (briefly) see. Please note: The guest room is now looking very good indeed!
i love when you walk outside and see all kinds of white fluffy clouds...
...but then very quickly, the dark clouds move in. good thing i also love warm afternoon thunderstorms.
singapore is, apparently, one of those places where you can walk down the street and discover an intense game of lawn bowling
our adventures took us out to the east coast of the island, where we arrived just in time for the sunset above
and then immediately afterwards began devouring delicous seafood and beers.
this is the singapore chili crab, an amazing -- if incredibly messy -- local specialty.
but when i went to wash my hands (and, okay, my face and a little bit of my hair), i did discovered my new favoritest bathroom sign ever.
Friday, February 17, 2006
ah, hong kong. not quite china, but close enough.
When I lived in Beijing, Hong Kong was like this Westernized wonderland where you could get things like hummus and burritos and the new Vogue. But now that I'm coming from Singapore -- easily the most Western city in all of Asia -- it's funny how my perspective has completely changed. Hong Kong is still great, but I can't get over how Chinese it seems to me now (which is sort of nice -- it's kind of like being back in China, but you only have to deal with a small, manageable amount of Mainlanders and their constant need to butt right in front of you in line and pretend they don't see you standing right there). Unfortunately, this trip ended up being more work and less fun. I was exhausted, it rained a lot, and my very favorite store was closed. Boo!
Luckily, there was one afternoon of beautiful blue skies, so I walked around between meetings and took a few pictures of the city. I'm constantly amazed by Hong Kong's clash of old and new: enormous skyscrapers towering over fruit markets; dilapidated buildings in the middle of high-end neighborhoods; a giant escalator that carries passengers up the hill and over the twisting alleyways in the middle of town. It may not be a novelty now, but I still went to my favorite burrito place for lunch on Wednesday, just for old times' sake.
i can never resist stopping at the buddhist temples to see the hundreds of incense coils that burn from the ceiling. even if it means smelling like incense and having little ash marks on your clothes for the rest of the day, which it inevitably does.
for those who can't make it to the big temples, little altars are tucked away in nooks along the street
i couldn't help but have a little fun with the amazing facade of the new louis vuitton store.
i imagine i must look a little odd (or perhaps vain?), especially when i can't get the shot quite right: always, someone has to stop to ask what exactly it is i'm doing.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
explanation to follow below...
This weekend was Thaipusam, a Hindu festival that's mainly celebrated in Singapore and Malaysia. (You can read a very short but very informative description of it here, which I highly recommend. Think of it as your world lesson for the day.) Essentially, the devotees who participate in the festival wear these ultra-elaborate portable altars that pierce their bodies through fish hooks or long needles. (Their meditative state means it's not supposed to hurt, though it didn't look very comfortable.) Their family and friends accompany them on a long procession through the city, singing and dancing and playing the drums to show their support. Others gather along the route to watch and encourage. We sort of just stumbled upon it while out and about in the city on Saturday, but I'm so glad we did. It was truly one of the most fascinating things I've ever seen.
The rest of the weekend was spent enjoying the following: the amazing design shops of Chinatown; a very fun night of cards that involved lots of pirate noises ("aaaarrrh...!"); late-night hawker food adventures with Quinn (of Beijing fame -- and our honored first guest!); exploring Little India and Arab Street; Sunday night cocktails with the Aussies; Brokeback Mountain (which I absolutely, completely loved); and designer hot dogs. And now, I'm off to Hong Kong tomorrow for most of the week, which will involve a lot of work but which will also, I'm sure, involve a lot of fun (and many photos). See you soon.
those bright little umbrellas are part of boat quay, a very popular spot to sit by the water.
we spent some time on the campus of a local design college, which was putting on some very cool exhibits and events. including this designer hot dog stand, which was quite interesting, if not quite edible. that middle one, for instance, is covered in chocolate sprinkles.
there were some very neat design projects on display, but this one was by far the most interesting. perhaps not the most politically correct.
sometimes when you're walking down the street, a day-glo truck will speed by in a loud blur of banging drums, on the way to do a dragon dance.
here they are, off the truck and heading into action
this little pup is bobby. he just wrote a book, you know. a very tiring feat.
the chinese new year ended today. i'm going to miss the decorations.
little india is full of bright, colorful buildings
i'm putting up this picture mainly because it features a poster of my favorite bollywood actor, shah rukh khan. he's dreamy!
i wonder if the rainbow buckets make washing the dishes a little more fun?
the main mosque just off of arab street is truly spectacular
domes and spires everywhere
and the streets around the mosque are full of amazing, elaborate buildings
i'm not exactly sure what this means, but i'm willing to bet it's interesting.
Okay! On to the Thaipusam procession. You read the full explanation, right?
... and there they go, off to the temple.
Friday, February 3, 2006
If I ever just stop updating this site and disappear for awhile, you should probably look for me in Bali. There's something about that island that just makes me feel incredibly calm and happy and peaceful, like maybe I could live there forever in a fun little hut and cute hippie sundresses. My week was split between the towns of Seminyak (which I'd never been to before) and Ubud (which I had). Seminyak is a popular beach town, home to some of the big high-end hotels on the island. The typical daily schedule there generally includes any or all of the following: long walks along beach, quality pool time, lunch in adorable beachfront cafe (see below), shopping, happy hour at swim-up bar, sunset cocktails at fabulous beachfront bar, fresh seafood dinner at fabulous beachfront restaurant, naps. It is, as Grant would say, incredibly Kaftan-amatic.
Ubud is different. It's in the mountains, away from the beaches, and even though lots of tourists go there, it's fairly quiet and very green. There, it's the crowing roosters that always wake me up, just in time to get to the town market as it is opening. This is when the locals go -- before the hawkers set out all their wooden bowls and Buddha carvings (which is sort of odd, because most Balinese are Hindu), when it is just the little old ladies selling banana leaves and mangosteens and flowers. I always try desperately to look invisible and take pictures, but it's almost impossible because there are no other tourists there so early and everyone wants to shout "helloooo!" and then try to sell you something, usually bananas.
And after that gets old, I like to go walking for a few hours. It's the rainy season in Bali right now, and there's usually a heavy shower by lunchtime, but the mornings are often clear and perfect for long hikes through the villages around Ubud. I do love me some terraced rice paddy. The rest of the time is pretty much spent eating fresh egg noodles and other amazing Indonesian dishes and reading in little thatched-roof cafes. (You'll be happy to know I made it through most of my book pile. Here are the mini-reviews, for those of you who care about such things -- completely fascinating; an annual favorite (and excellent as always); not as trashy as expected (but not really recommendable either); extremely intense; and very interesting. Okay, so those last two I'm not quite finished yet. Still, totally book-tastic.)
I thought that would be as good as it gets. And then, I went to leave today. In what might be the Best Airport Departure Ever -- though possibly bolstered by the fact that my frequent flyer status means I get to stuff myself with tea sandwiches in the lounge and then board ahead of everyone else, even the babies -- the Bali airport staff now apparently serenades you with "La Bamba" as you walk down the jetway and onto the plane. This includes a maintenance man wielding a tambourine. I'm not sure if the singing is supposed to entice people to come back to Bali, but as far as I'm concerned, the tambourine man alone is well worth a return trip.
And now, I think it's time for bed. Enjoy the photos -- when I'm less tired and more coherent, I'll add in some more explanatory captions. I know how you enjoy them.
sometimes, when you wake up in ubud, a man will be plowing a rice paddy just outside your window.
and sometimes, your pool will overflow into a rice paddy
coconut, anyone?
if you want to carry something here, you do it on your head
the fruit market is like a rainbow
a boy and his monkey
in the morning market
all the wooden things you could possibly ever want
go! bananas! b-a-n-a-n-a-s!
the bali gas station: a little wooden stand on the side of the road
i sort of hope no drunk people stagger by and end up swigging gasoline
possibly my new favorite chip
yay! ocean!
there was a holiday this week, and the temples were full of activity
all the kids, dressed in their finest, gathered in the street
fruit baskets made their way to the temples
i braved the sacred monkey forest, just to get some pictures for you. those animals are fierce, though not that you could tell by this picture. even i have to admit that this one is sort of cute.
this man learned the hard way that you should not bring a banana with you, unless you desire for your nikes to be attacked by monkeys
back in the paddies
in case you were unsure, it is very nice over there on the right
in seminyak, lunch is eaten at places like this
the swim-up bar! a fine invention, i have to say.
there was a dragon dance to usher in the chinese new year
and sunset looks like this (even without all those pink mojitos)
fields of elephant grass, which is apparently very good roofing material
off to get cleaned up. see you soon...
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