the park of parks

Today I went to the Park of parks. The paradise of all parks. The park that has everything any park-goer could possibly want. Pasir Ris Park runs along the river, and looks across to a smaller island belonging to Singapore. It is one of the most picturesque parks I have ever been to.

There are things to do for bikers, roller bladers, families, couples, single folk. dog walkers, kite fliers, kayakers, fishers, skateboarders, picnickers, grillers, sit-and-read-bookers, sunbathers (although, I don't think there is such a thing as an Asian sun-bather), and everything in between!

I rented a bike (~US$3.50 for 2 hours!) and cruised around the extremely smooth, extremely flat bike paths. How wonderful! In all honesty, I was scoping out the terrain so next time I can rent roller blades.

In other news, I have now know all the Thomas the Tank Engine trains by name and can sing the theme song in my sleep.

When I'm not in therapy, I'm either getting things ready for the next session (we're having them every day until school starts), helping watch the kids, walking through the neighborhood, or reading. It is most certainly a change of pace from all of my years in school. I've also been helping Mama Bear around the house, decorating and stuff. Yesterday, we put up these adorable jungle animals on the second floor landing. I'm seriously considering painting a mural around them.

Life has been pretty routine, which has actually been very good for me, I think. Stay tuned for the episode about FOOD.

My new wingman

Today, I figured out how to change the public perception of my WPness (white-person-ness). Cart around an adorable half-Asian kid. The focus shifts from check out that WP to check out that cute Asian kid with the WP.

I needed to go downtown to return some games that I had borrowed from Monkey's group therapy center. In a spontaneous act of kindness (towards Mama Bear and Monkey), I offered to take Mouse with me. The kid loves trains and so I figured what better way to spend the afternoon than riding the MRT with him. And so we set off.

Once we got to the MRT station, my little companion started the never ending chorus of Train! Train! Train! I assured him that this time we weren't just looking, we were going to ride. I folded up the stroller, took his hand, and we confidently stepped onto the escalator that would lead us to the platform. There it was: the ever so magical train. Mouse's eyes were wide with wonder as we boarded and found seats.

Immediately I noticed eyes being drawn to the tyke shouting Train! Train! Train! When smiles appeared around the car, they were returned with a grin from Mouse. He immediately took it upon himself to make a friend out of the lady next to him. With a toothy smile and a shy hi, he would be able to soften the heart of anyone. By the end of the ride he had flirted with about every girl in view and had melted all of their hearts.


We succeeded in the task that we had set out to do, and killed some time by exploring some of the malls nearby. By the time we got back to the MRT, rush hour was starting to set in. The train was packed like sardines, which didn't really meet the fancy of Mouse who was stuck in his stroller. When the crowds thinned out, I found a seat and let him sit on my lap. This time he captured the attention of the entire car full of people by laughing a high-pitched cackle of a laugh. Normally MRT cars are filled with somber, serious folks simply rushing to and from a laundry list of to-dos. Today, Mouse changed that. He made some smiles appear out of nowhere and hopefully a little distraction from the daily grind for those people.

Once again he introduced himself to half the people near him and entertained us all by shouting out letters he recognized in the train car ads. An Indian woman who sat next to him, was so infatuated she gave him a little teddy bear.

I came to the conclusion that Mouse makes a fantastic wingman and I should take him out more. My only problem is that he only picks up chicks...

"Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community"

 Photo courtesy of goodreads.com

Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community is a collection of essays written by Wendell Berry (who may be my new hero) in the early 1990s. I can honestly say that when I finished the last page I was sad for it to end. My jaw was left on the floor. We're talking 173 pages of intelligent, thought-provoking, mind-altering words.

Berry addresses all sorts of topics: agriculture, economy, government, war, sex, freedom, conservation, and community. Topics that wouldn't necessarily be dealt with together. But Berry shows that they are all interconnected and sometimes inseparable from each other. He has this ability to explain certain flaws in our society in light of the deeper issues that often aren't addressed or even associated with the flaws on the surface.

What really impressed me the most was the tone of the essays. Berry carries a humbling attitude, we're all in this together. He was realistic without being cynical, and when accusatory there was not a hint of condescension.

I am still trying to process everything that I read in this book, so let me leave you with this:

The trouble with the various movements of rights and liberties that have passed among us in the last thirty years is that they have all been too exclusive and so have degenerated too readily into special pleading. They have, separately, asked us to stop exploiting racial minorities or women or nature, and they have been, separately, right to do so. But they have not separately or together, come to the realization that we live in a society that exploits, first, everything that is not ourselves and then, inevitably, ourselves. To ask, within this general onslaught, that we should honor the dignity of this or that group is to ask that we should swim up a waterfall.

~Wendell Berry, 1992

Things I will probably miss when I get back to America: Part II

6. Hainanese Chicken Rice
7. Going swimming at 10 p.m.
8. Fruit stands and my fruit stand guy

Things I will probably miss when I get back to America:

1. The rice cooker that sings
2. Apple Aloe Vera juice (kid you not, there are chunks of aloe vera floating in the apple juice!)
3. MANGOES
4. MANGOSTEENS
5. Really clean public transportation

*Disclaimer: These items are not listed in order of importance, rather the order in which I remember them. Stay tuned for Things I will probably miss when I get back to America Part 2.

bright lights, big city

After being on this lovely island for a week, I needed to stretch my legs and get my bearings. Until I have a chance to familiarize myself with my surroundings, I tend to feel very unbalanced. I needed to get out and figure out how this place works, and that is what I did (at least, I scratched the surface).

Tuesday morning I woke up, dressed for the inevitable sweat of the day, packed my camera bag and headed out. I had all the essentials for a venture out on a tropical island: camera, extra lens, water bottle, umbrella, sunglasses, map (a real one. Not any of this WiFi/bluetooth/GPS crap), and cash. All I had planned was which MRT (don't know what it stands for, but it means train) station to get on and which one I would get off. I felt sufficiently prepared.

See, my theory is that if this was my first time to downtown, I wouldn't know where to go that I would like and so why not just pick a centralized location and explore?

It takes about 30 minutes on the MRT to get from our neighborhood to downtown. On the train, I was the only visible white person, which made me laugh a little. Only when we got to the downtown stops did I start to see other white people. It was a very pleasant ride, certainly the cleanest train ride I've every had. The train is above ground for a lot of the trip and so I got to see a bit of the island on my trip. When we got to my stop, the station looked like the basement of a mall, which coincidentally it was. Very shiny and clean and lots of escalators. That's actually the best description I could possibly make of Singapore: shiny! clean! escalators!

The escalator spat me out slightly north and west of City Centre and not knowing exactly which way to go to see exciting things, I found a park barely half a block away and sat down to consult the map. In America, when we think about a city park, we think lots of grass, picnic tables, playgrounds, and maybe a tennis court or basketball hoop. This city park was like a jungle--very thick foliage with paths winding through and marble benches every now and then. It was awesome.

After realigning my inner compass, I started walking. It didn't take me long to realize that there was hardly anyone else walking outside. Seriously, apparently even the locals can't take the heat and humidity. My running hypothesis is that everyone in that part of town are important business people that are either too important to have to walk places or they don't want to mess up their suits. I was rather enjoying the sun and heat of the eternal summer.

To make a day long story short, I walked and walked just soaking in everything around me and it was glorious! One thing that I noticed upon arriving and then again during my exploration, is the overwhelming amount of greenery in such a big city. I guess I had expected immense amounts of glass and concrete and not many natural things. But I was completely wrong. Streets are enclosed in tunnels of trees, pedestrian overpasses are decorated with manicured flower bushes, and everything breathes tropical.

In the middle of the city there's a park called Fort Canning. It is seriously a tropical rainforest in the middle of a concrete jungle. I didn't have to go very far in before buildings were replaced with humongous trees and lots of flowers. It is perched on a little hill and so many stairs were climbed (my sweat glands had a field day). At the top there's a building commemorating the old fort along with benches and educational signs. I was curious what was on the other side and so I scooted past a group of school kids to a clearing in the trees. And before me was a massive expanse of tall buildings: City Centre. It was amazing.

All in all it was a really fun field trip. I decided that I'm going to need to get out more often if I want to see the rest of the country too. I made it back to my MRT stop and got distracted in the really really really nice library (shiny! clean! escalators!). When I finally tore myself away, I emerged outside only to realize that I had no idea how to get back to the house. Amy had dropped me off on the way to run an errand and I hadn't paid much attention to the route she took. But the best way to learn the lay of the land is to get lost, right? Half an hour and a few wrong turns later I found the familiar FairPrice (grocery store) near the house. I picked up a new batch of mangosteens and dragged my tired, sweaty, sundrenched self back home.

And there could have been no better end to the day then jumping into the pool...


[photos from this expedition can be seen at www.picasaweb.google.com/artmus987]

imagine __________ but with asian people.

I have recently come to realize how globalized our world really is.

Take my recent trip to Ikea as an example. Inside and out, it looked just like an Ikea in America. Difference? Asian people instead of Americans.

I went to a rather large church yesterday that very much resembled your run of the mill mega church in America. Difference? Asian people instead of Americans.

The church experience was really fun, actually. The building was huge and there were tons and tons of people. Of which I was the only one of European descent to be seen. A towering 4 stories, this church was decked out with a fancy fountain/baptismal pool, escalator, and modern looking sanctuary. We got greeted about 8 times on our way in, showing us that, if anything, they have a really strong greeting team.

The absolute best part was the sermon, which happened to be on Revelation 6. The pastor was hilarious! This is how he started (paraphrased by me, of course)

I am going to start with a story about the time period when pirates sailed the Caribbean. Back then, merchant ships sailed in constant fear of pirates. This story is about one merchant ship in particular, that was sailing from Singapore to London with its load of spices and other exotic cargo. Now this ship had a new captain, one that was not only new to the ship but also the crew. Embarking on a journey as such means quite a bit of potential danger (storms, pirates, etc) and the crew wasn't sure how the new captain would handle such difficult situations.


The ship set sail without a hitch and it wasn't until a few days in that they faced their first challenge. "Pirates!" yelled the lookout, "Pirates off the Port side!" Sure enough, there was a pirate ship headed their way. No one new what to do so they looked to their new captain in anticipation. The captain, very calmly, turned to the cabin boy and said, "Boy, bring me my red jacket!" The cabin boy brought the jacket, and turning to the crew the captain put it on. He encouraged them saying, "We will fight these pirates! To the death! Stand firm and defend your ship!" When the pirates approached, the crew fought and fought behind their courageous new captain, and sure enough they beat the pirates!


Everyone was elated and proud of their battle, and they continued on their voyage. A while later, another call came from the crow's nest, "Pirates! Pirates! to the starboard!". This time there were not one, but two pirate ships! The crew was uneasy, sure, they had beat the pirates the last time. But now there were two ships! They looked to their captain, who turned to his cabin boy and said "Boy, bring me my red jacket!" He gave the same courageous speech as last time, "We will fight these pirates! To the death! Stand firm and defend your ship!" The crew was pumped up and stand and fight they did. They fought the pirates to the death! Before long the battle was over and both pirate ships had been defeated. 

That night there was the biggest celebration a ship on the open seas had ever seen. The crew drank and danced and celebrated the victory. Needless to say they were in complete awe of their captain--nothing seemed to faze him! After much eating and drinking, as the party died down, some of the crew approached the captain to ask him the secret of his courage. "This red jacket," they said, "why is it you always put it on before battle? Is it a lucky charm? Does it have magical powers?" "No," the captain answered frankly, "it does not have magical powers. When we're in a battle, if I get stabbed or shot, and blood starts to seep, you do not see it when I have on my red jacket. There is no better way to be discouraged in the heat of battle than if your leader is hurt, and so the red jacket disguises any injury that I may incur." The crew all sat in wonder, contemplating what their captain had just told them. 


After that night, the ship continued on its way without incident, until one day they heard the fateful call..."Pirates! Pirates! From the Port!" "Pirates from the starboard!" And sure enough, there were pirates approaching from both sides. Six ships this time! The crew had felt courageous after defeating two ships, but six?! They all swallowed their fear and looked to their captain expecting him to call for his red jacket and for him to give them a rousing speech. The captain turned to the cabin boy and said, "Boy, bring me my brown pants!"

"Run"

Having just finished reading the first book of my bout in Singapore, I figure that this blog would be a good place to publish my review of it. My bookshelf arrived today and my fingers were itching as I unpacked the books I had sent ahead of me. There is so much time to read and I hope to have read myself out of books sooner rather than later.

Leading the pack was Run by Ann Patchett (author of Bel Canto), a book that has earned itself a spot in my top 10 favorite books.

 pic courtesy of Radcliffe Institute

It is the story of a fairly unconventional family and how they contend with some rather unfortunate circumstances. The plot provides an anomaly to social expectations associated with economic status and skin color. Though completely fictional, Patchett marries in elements of truth when it comes to politics, poverty, race, and family conflict. As a character-driven story, the present is told from the perspective of the past and vice versa. Patchett has a remarkable way of drawing you into the lives of the characters, so much so that it is hard to separate yourself from them. The characters are the life and breath of the story and there's not much else to do but become emotionally involved and feel like a part of the family.

I highly recommend Run to anyone looking for something to read. Also, be sure to read Bel Canto if you haven't yet, it is superb!

upside down and backwards.

I feel like the world has turned upside down.

A month ago, I was living in a small, creaky apartment and now I live in a humongous house that seems as though it could withstand a hurricane and typhoon at the same time. I used to live in the middle of a big continent and the closest body of water to speak of was Lake Como. Now I live on a small island in the middle of an ocean (well, close enough anyway). That small, creaky apartment had no air conditioning to speak of and was hot when it was supposed to be cold and vice versa. This mansion has AC units in every room, with individual remotes. Instead of being a white person amidst a majority of white people, I am a white person surrounded by Asians. The cars drive on the left not the right! And I have officially swapped day for night and night for day. Which means, all my lovely readers, you will be waking up to this post like it was the morning newspaper on your doorstep.

My mind is in a much more coherent and sane state than it was the last time you heard from me (though it is completely debatable whether or not my mind is ever in a completely coherent and sane state). Today is Friday, which means I have been residing in Singapore for almost three and a half days. And so far so good. I am officially unpacked, though some of my things are still scattered about, waiting for the arrival of my bookcase. I would offer a wordy description of my new abode, except it would probably bore you out of your socks, so I am going to wait until the rest of my furniture comes and I can take proper pictures.

To satisfy your curious little minds, I do have pictures of the neighborhood to share. I ventured out on my own today, and took a little stroll around and scope out my immediate surroundings. Here's what I saw:

 This is the nifty little market complex thing near our house.

Our street!

"It pays not to breed. Fine $200 for mosquito breeding"

Told you mosquitoes were illegal...

The house.

Ok, so, see the roof straight ahead, above the pool? My room is behind that--backside of the second floor.

the whole world over

Hello to the world at large! I am currently writing from my new bedroom in Singapore. That's right folks, I arrived safe and without any major hiccups. Considering that my body is extremely confused about where it is and when it should be sleeping or awake, I am merely going to publish my travel log notes from my trip.

As a disclaimer, I would like to point out that I embarked on the journey running on about 4.5 hours of sleep and facing 34 hours of travel. Therefore, I hardly take responsibility for observations and comments made. Enjoy and hopefully the next time you hear from me I will be in a much clearer state of mind.

Leg 1: CHICAGO O'HARE AIRPORT.

All set with the essentials:

9:35 a.m. CST
Three little boys are doing a relay race up and down the hallway

10:45 a.m. CST
Two preteens come and sit at the gate wearing shirts with the following:
"For Sale: brother (video games included)" "For Sale: sister (doll accessories included)"

Leg 2: Flight from CHICAGO to HOUSTON

11:43 a.m. CST
Shortly after boarding, a woman argues with the flight attendant about the lack of blankets on board a regional flight.

11:51 a.m. CST
Preteens, as mentioned above, are sitting behind me and act as though take-off was a roller coaster. Wheeeee!

11:52 a.m. CST
Screaming child on board...Check.

1:16 p.m. CST
Clouds look like meringue or marshmallow fluff! Or perhaps popcorn. This could be the empty stomach talking.

2:05 p.m. CST
Hello, Houston.

Leg 3: HOUSTON AIRPORT

2:23 p.m. CST
I ride the mini interterminal train that felt suspiciously similar to a carnival ride, except replace loud happy music with quiet, creepy elevator music.

2:45 p.m. CST
Standing in line for boarding pass #2, behind two Germans (?) with about five suitcases and two humongous cardboard boxes.

Next line over has an African toddler waddling around touching everyone's luggage.

3:00 p.m. CST
Security line #2, get bored waiting so decide to play "Guess the Nationality" of everyone around me. Absolutely no shame in eavesdropping.

3:45 p.m. CST
Finally get through security.

4:46 p.m. CST
Three little girls meet at the gate, sealing their future as BFFs--the common link? Disney princess t-shirts and backpacks.

5:10 p.m. CST
Boarded the plane and starting to get comfy in my seat with pillow, blanket, and entertainment system. 24 hours to go! Just found out my seat mates (one Russian, and one American) are getting out in Moscow. Hour 11 means an empty row to myself...hopefully.

Ah the joys of long flights--more incentive to befriend your neighbors. The chitter-chatter of small talk fills the air.

6:30 p.m. CST
Completely ecstatic to find the Glee soundtrack in the electronic CD collection.

8:40 p.m. CST
Flew over Buffalo, NY and saw FIREWORKS! Could only see the initial explosions, none of the flying sparks. But it looked like fireflies lighting up everywhere!

10:26 a.m. Singapore Time (ST)
Decided to switch my watch and start thinking in Singapore time.

10:27 a.m. ST
Am now trying to stay awake per Singapore time. The coffee I drank after dinner is definitely helping. That and the stubborn Russian woman in front of me, who's fighting with the lead flight attendant about letting her kids sleep on the floor...

6:06 p.m. ST
Land-ho! Hello Moscow. Never before have I heard so much Russian spoken in one closed space--this of course is due to the hustle and bustle of getting ready to get off.

6:45 p.m. ST
That last comment was nothing compared to being in the Moscow Airport...

Leg 4: MOSCOW AIRPORT
6:46 p.m. ST
Got to deplane, which means a real bathroom break, some walking and stretching, and yet another run through security (Garish, my traveling buddy of a stuffed animal and spare pillow, doesn't know how to feel about being sent through X-ray machines 3 times.)

7:21 p.m. ST
On the plane again. Same plane, same seat, new seat mates (bummer!). This time it's an older Russian couple who don't seem to know English. Conversation should be intriguing...
11 hours to go!

p.s. I am extremely tired and wired (due to another round of coffee an hour or two ago). This whole swapping night for day and day for night thing is no picnic.

Leg 5: Flight from MOSCOW to SINGAPORE

10:37 p.m. ST
The woman next to me keeps having problems plugging her headphones in. She's really cute, and when I offer to help, she giggles. No need for common language here :)

Looking out the window, it's hard to tell what country we're over, especially without those nifty boundary lines that are on maps. At least I can keep track of the changing biomes. According to the map we're currently heading out of Turkmenistan and into Afghanistan. Which means mountains!

1:27 a.m. ST
Can't sleep....grrrrrrr....

5:21 a.m. ST
Finally land in Singapore and touchdown is met with a plane-wide round of applause.



That's it for the travel log. So I'm going to post this before I fall asleep...