Pump up the bass

Last night I went with some really lovely people to a really horrendous nightclub. I mean, I'm sure it was great as far as nightclubs go. There's obviously a market for smoke machines, hipster staff and ear-splitting bass because the place was packed. Guess I'm just getting old and crusty.

Oh yeah: the law school is stunning. My photos don't really do it justice, but check it out:





I was just invited to a cooking class as part of the freshman orientation in my hall. Party!

One of the nicest things in the whole world is the feeling you get when you make a friend. Or two. Or three. Or gads of them, while heading to your dorm kitchen or taking the bus or drinking in a public park because you're allowed to do it there but not on campus.

It was a nice day.

People here have a particular way of exchanging money. For the Chinese it's a way to signify the preciousness of what's being given and received - even if it's just $4 for your laksa or carrot cake. For Hindus it has to do with the flow of prana. Whatever the reason, money is typically given and received with both hands and with a slight bow of the head. It's very subtle, but once you start noticing it you begin to see the transactions differently. The solemnity given to the everyday manifestations of what might often be labeled crass commercialism...well, it makes you think about the person on the other end and about the privilege of being able to take part in the trade. And as a traveler, it's a special feeling to learn about these little cultural subtleties and to take part in them.

Moved in

Campus is gorgeous. Laundry is free. Wireless is patchy.

It's still fairly deserted around here - most of my housemates are off at Orientation. I spent the day shopping for sheets. Ended up in Holland Village, which is known for being the place where expats congregate. I wandered through a grocery store with all the comforts of home...well, almost. Ragu spaghetti sauce is $6 a jar.

Another of my roommates, from China, is also an international student at the university. She met a local guy who showed us how to get to campus on the MRT - you know, to prevent the inevitable disaster of us trying to do it on our own the morning of registration.

We got Subway on campus and for the first time since I got here, somebody else was more baffled by the food selection than I was. I guided her through the selection process - sandwich, size, bread, veggies, sauce, combo, drink. My sense of familiarity was shattered minutes later when I found myself face-to-face with a squat toilet.

I tried a durian in Chinatown...possibly an acquired taste. I mean, it was okay. Not as bad as the naysayers say, but it didn't inspire in me the kind of fervent adoration I've seen in its admirers. Just okay.



After that we wandered around Clarke Quay, a spot on the Singapore River known for its nightlife, and into the Colonial District. It houses the Singapore Parliament, Supreme Court, Art Gallery and Asian Civilizations Museum, among others. It's also home to the stunning Raffles Hotel, where you can drink a ludicrously overpriced Singapore sling, shop for Armani home furnishings, or - if you're a freeloader like myself - sit in the gorgeous public-access courtyard and use the marble-laden washrooms without buying a thing.



Today was registration...one of the most organized events I've ever been to, but utterly exhausting. Maybe the Society Fair was a bad idea. Faced with a barrage of eager Singaporean undergrads I found myself joining the mailing lists for rugby(!), the campus radio station and the choir. Don't laugh. Despite my protestations that I absolutely CANNOT sing and that nobody (well, except The Boy) WANTS to hear me sing, the society rep - a paradigm of bubbling exuberance - dragged me over to the sign-up sheet and told me she looks forward to seeing me at the welcome tea. I'm sorry to say that I don't think she will.


Favourite moments so far:

-On Orchard Road, the most ridiculously girlie boutique anyone has ever laid eyes on. It's like the living room of a psychotic old lady who has 28 fluffy white kittens and feeds them only cotton candy; a place where all the pink and frilly things of the world come to breed. I desperately wanted to take a picture...but apparently everyone does, and there was a sign forbidding all photography.

-Getting a huge Indian thali (set plate) for SGD$4 (around $3 to $3.50 Canadian). With a guy coming around periodically to top up whichever of the fiery curries you like the best.

-Eating it with my hands. Of all the people in the restaurant, only the white girls were given forks. Damned if I was going to use mine.

-Getting a free Hellgate action figure from the NUS Second Life rep. I didn't have the heart to turn it down. Anybody want a Templar Guardian?

-Signing up for the environmental society, "Students Against Violation of the Earth". From campus security to dengue to the threat of terrorism on the bus, Singapore is not about subtlety when it comes to imminent danger.

Tiffin, malls and Orwelian graffiti

Day 3 in Singapore and finally this blog is a go. I'm staying at a hostel while I attempt to get things sorted with registration, housing and all that jazz. It has two cute kitties and is a few blocks from Little India, so I can forgo the pig organ soup for cheap and plentiful veg curries. As is tradition, I got hopelessly lost on my first day here. The first time wasn't my fault - the map was badly labeled. The second time was in the Mustafa Centre, Singapore's baffling take on Wal-Mart, while trying to buy a cell phone. The third was almost intentional - I felt the need to wander aimlessly around Little India without pulling out a map like some kind of tourist.

Yesterday my Aussie roomate from the hostel and I went to Orchard Road, the shopping district - full of massive, gleaming monuments to the consumer gods. Odd choice for two ladies who hate shopping, but we felt we should partake of the local culture. And I need some clothes for school.

The plan for today is to tourist it up in the Colonial District. I'll try to actually take some pictures for ya.