Why do good people leave our lives? Sure, in some cases, it may be for the better, but in other cases, when the people we truly care and love for leave....it is so much harder to say "goodbye" or even "see you later."
Nicholas the Greyhound, Jeff Kniple (director of LNSP/Evergreens--the man who kept the program stand on two feet), and Fr. Jack (one of the best Jesuits and leaders to ever step foot on Loyola's campus) are leaving/left.
I admire Fr. Jack. He has done good for me and my sisters (Jayne, Loyola graduate '09 and Meghan, current Loyola student, graduating in '15). You can find Fr. Jack in Campus Min, the FAC on the elliptical, or giving high 5's and hugs to students and faculty. He is a selfless man who has a warm heart, always open to giving back and creating a happier Loyola community. I'll miss him, saying "SHAN SHAN!" or "LC! (little Chong)" on campus or at the gym. He would stop and actually chat about my day or whatever was on my mind when I worked at the FAC's front desk. I am happy and proud to see him leave Loyola and continue his love for students and higher education as President of Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School. I wish you the best, Fr. Jack!
In other Singaporean cases...........
Finals have approached! I have 3 on November 18, 28, and December 2. Between finals, I am going on a 5 day (Nov 18-23) holiday in Vietnam with two of my friends, Katie and Kirsty. We are going to explore Ho Chi Minh City and I'm pretty sure other places as well. I am excited to see another country with its unique culture and foods!
The Thailand and New Zealand kids are all home now, and soon the Australia kids too. It's so weird how everyone's going home now, slowly. I remember all the statuses ("10 days until abroad!" or "Bye America!") this summer, how happy and ready we were to go, now we all dread to leave, hahaha. In 17 days, I will be leaving and returning to the US. I am very excited to go home, but sooo sad to leave the life I have become comfortable with as well as the good people I have met.
Until next time (get ready for my Vietnam post next week!), Much love from the Chatty Chong xoxoxo
Tuesday 15 November 2011
Monday 7 November 2011
"There's 4 of us!....but I'm small!"
What a fun and girly weekend! GIRL POWER!
On Friday, I was boring and stayed in with Fiona. We ended up being lazy and went to McDonalds, as usual. McDonalds is to Singapore as Panera Bread/Chipotle is to America...does that make sense? If not, it means people always go to those places to eat, no matter what time it is or what day it is..... basically people are OBSESSED. You will see tables and tables filled with Singaporean students eating McDonalds with a textbook in hand, no joke. Funny though, back at home, I do not even look or touch McDonalds, but when you're in Asia, surrounded by rice and noodles... McDonalds seems to be a gateway to US and normal food, haha. Here in Singapore, they have McSpicy Wings and.....McDelivery, now if the US had that, we'd all be obese and in wheelchairs... and you know that's true!
On Saturday, I caught up with sleep and grabbed lunch with my roomie, Joanna at Canteen 12/13. I had Korean (missing family and food) "Sundubu Jigae" which is basically spicy soft tofu stew; my momma makes it at home. It tasted okay, nice and spicy, but nothing like my mom's. My roomie is the sweetest and most caring person ever. I've developed an odd raspy cough, and trying to kill it before my Vietnam trip with Robitussin Cough Syrup (since they don't have or know Mucinex or Dayquil) and cough drops, but anyways, she gave me orange juice and Vitamin C pills....so kind! As mentioned, she's from Malaysia, near KL and a mathematics major... bless her, I hate numbers and equations (hence my communication major)!
Saturday night, I had dinner with Ms. Wendy and her family. We went to the Evolution Garden for a nice walk and chat. Ms. Wendy was neighbors with my Aunt Yoon Mee back in Uni. It's a funny thought, that they met in Uni, and now I'm here in Singapore studying at NTU, and she's watching over me. Ms. Wendy is a very nice lady, she is caring, welcoming, and easy to talk to. I am very lucky to have a "family" figure here, especially with my severe case of homesickness (back in August!). We had traditional Singaporean food for dinner at her house, which is soo lavish and beautiful! Her husband offered wine, at first, I was very hesitant, but he was so nice and said it was totally fine, plus I'm legal here! HOLLA! After dinner, I spent time with her children, Aaron who is 11 and Elizabeth who is 8. They are adorable and very clever! I really had a special time with them. I feel so content when I am with them. After my time with Ms. Wendy and her family, I went back to Lizzi's room, met up with the girls, and chilled out, a nice way to end the night!
On Sunday, we were going to cycle on Pulau Ubin Island, but laziness kicked in, so I slept in as well as the girls. We had a girl's day, basically (me, Fiona, Lizzi, Katie, and Kirsty). With no agenda or schedule, we hopped on the mrt and went to Joo Koon for shits and giggles! You see Joo Koon is the very end of the mrt line, and there is absolutely nothing there, except some factories and a go-kart place? So random, hahaha. We hopped back and went to Vivo City shopping centre, and basically did what girls love...shopping (oh and eating). I had proper soup and a wrap... so good! We rushed back to campus to get ready for a night I will never forget, ever.
1-Altitude is "a multi-concept lifestyle destination boasting of 360-degree sky dining view, world tallest al fresco rooftop bar and a sports interactive lifestyle bar" in Singapore. Ladies must be 21 years old (I'm 20...) and men have to be 25. Fiona met the manager of 1-Altitude the night we were at Attica, and she texted him, and........ we got on the Guestlist! SICK! We felt so "posh" (did I use the word, right, UK girls? haha) and glamorous, walking around this outdoor bar and dancing with cran-vodka, wine, and champagne in our hands. I was with Fiona, Lizzi, Katie, and Kirsty. I absolutely adore them! They have truly made my Singapore experience amazing and a memorable one. I feel I can be ME with them and let my guard down. LOVE THEM! I dread the day I have to say "goodbye." Anyways, the view was BREATHTAKING. I could see all of Singapore. The view reminded me the reason why I came to Singapore. It's a beautiful city! We were so high up in the air, my phone buzzed and greeted me to Malaysia (Indoneisa for Lizzi). I looked like a child in a candy store, staring with my mouth open. I felt like I was in a dream.
We then proceeded to take the lift all the way down to the 1st floor. In hopes of getting to New Asia Bar on time, we walked over, with laughter and... interesting things (balloons, Chinese statutes, pee in a bush...no need to get into details). We finally made it to Swissotel, but a shiny and bright McDonalds dragged us in there instead to soak up the alcohol. I'm pretty sure everyone in McD was drunk. After stuffing our faces, we decided to go back to NTU. We thought it would be a brilliant idea to squeeze 5 girls in one taxi, now in Singapore, there is no way in Hell taxi drivers are cool with that, so we had a plan: get in as fast as we can, and put Lizzi on the ground. After the driver constantly saying, "No can! No can! There is 5! No can!"....Lizzi answered, "but there's 4 of us! .....and I'm small!" All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a taxi van appeared and we hopped in there and all made it home safely. Oh, Singapore....
Today (Monday) is a public holiday, so we were all off of school. We went to Ikea for the rest of the day and night. I had the best meal ever, sad to say it was at Ikea hahaha. I had meatballs, wings, and chips (fries for you Americans). We walked around and the girls bought stuff. I am leaving in 4 weeks, it is useless to buy anything. As the weeks are going by, I am getting very excited to go home, but soo sad to leave the amazing people I have met. I am DREADING the actual "farewell," but on the bright side, my Vietnam trip with Katie and Kirsty is in 10 days!!!!! I cannot wait for another adventure! This week is the last week of classes, I cannot believe it! All my "real assignments" are basically done, so for now, I am sitting around until finals. Until another exciting post, Much Love from the Chatty Chong xoxoxo
On Friday, I was boring and stayed in with Fiona. We ended up being lazy and went to McDonalds, as usual. McDonalds is to Singapore as Panera Bread/Chipotle is to America...does that make sense? If not, it means people always go to those places to eat, no matter what time it is or what day it is..... basically people are OBSESSED. You will see tables and tables filled with Singaporean students eating McDonalds with a textbook in hand, no joke. Funny though, back at home, I do not even look or touch McDonalds, but when you're in Asia, surrounded by rice and noodles... McDonalds seems to be a gateway to US and normal food, haha. Here in Singapore, they have McSpicy Wings and.....McDelivery, now if the US had that, we'd all be obese and in wheelchairs... and you know that's true!
On Saturday, I caught up with sleep and grabbed lunch with my roomie, Joanna at Canteen 12/13. I had Korean (missing family and food) "Sundubu Jigae" which is basically spicy soft tofu stew; my momma makes it at home. It tasted okay, nice and spicy, but nothing like my mom's. My roomie is the sweetest and most caring person ever. I've developed an odd raspy cough, and trying to kill it before my Vietnam trip with Robitussin Cough Syrup (since they don't have or know Mucinex or Dayquil) and cough drops, but anyways, she gave me orange juice and Vitamin C pills....so kind! As mentioned, she's from Malaysia, near KL and a mathematics major... bless her, I hate numbers and equations (hence my communication major)!
Saturday night, I had dinner with Ms. Wendy and her family. We went to the Evolution Garden for a nice walk and chat. Ms. Wendy was neighbors with my Aunt Yoon Mee back in Uni. It's a funny thought, that they met in Uni, and now I'm here in Singapore studying at NTU, and she's watching over me. Ms. Wendy is a very nice lady, she is caring, welcoming, and easy to talk to. I am very lucky to have a "family" figure here, especially with my severe case of homesickness (back in August!). We had traditional Singaporean food for dinner at her house, which is soo lavish and beautiful! Her husband offered wine, at first, I was very hesitant, but he was so nice and said it was totally fine, plus I'm legal here! HOLLA! After dinner, I spent time with her children, Aaron who is 11 and Elizabeth who is 8. They are adorable and very clever! I really had a special time with them. I feel so content when I am with them. After my time with Ms. Wendy and her family, I went back to Lizzi's room, met up with the girls, and chilled out, a nice way to end the night!
On Sunday, we were going to cycle on Pulau Ubin Island, but laziness kicked in, so I slept in as well as the girls. We had a girl's day, basically (me, Fiona, Lizzi, Katie, and Kirsty). With no agenda or schedule, we hopped on the mrt and went to Joo Koon for shits and giggles! You see Joo Koon is the very end of the mrt line, and there is absolutely nothing there, except some factories and a go-kart place? So random, hahaha. We hopped back and went to Vivo City shopping centre, and basically did what girls love...shopping (oh and eating). I had proper soup and a wrap... so good! We rushed back to campus to get ready for a night I will never forget, ever.
1-Altitude is "a multi-concept lifestyle destination boasting of 360-degree sky dining view, world tallest al fresco rooftop bar and a sports interactive lifestyle bar" in Singapore. Ladies must be 21 years old (I'm 20...) and men have to be 25. Fiona met the manager of 1-Altitude the night we were at Attica, and she texted him, and........ we got on the Guestlist! SICK! We felt so "posh" (did I use the word, right, UK girls? haha) and glamorous, walking around this outdoor bar and dancing with cran-vodka, wine, and champagne in our hands. I was with Fiona, Lizzi, Katie, and Kirsty. I absolutely adore them! They have truly made my Singapore experience amazing and a memorable one. I feel I can be ME with them and let my guard down. LOVE THEM! I dread the day I have to say "goodbye." Anyways, the view was BREATHTAKING. I could see all of Singapore. The view reminded me the reason why I came to Singapore. It's a beautiful city! We were so high up in the air, my phone buzzed and greeted me to Malaysia (Indoneisa for Lizzi). I looked like a child in a candy store, staring with my mouth open. I felt like I was in a dream.
We then proceeded to take the lift all the way down to the 1st floor. In hopes of getting to New Asia Bar on time, we walked over, with laughter and... interesting things (balloons, Chinese statutes, pee in a bush...no need to get into details). We finally made it to Swissotel, but a shiny and bright McDonalds dragged us in there instead to soak up the alcohol. I'm pretty sure everyone in McD was drunk. After stuffing our faces, we decided to go back to NTU. We thought it would be a brilliant idea to squeeze 5 girls in one taxi, now in Singapore, there is no way in Hell taxi drivers are cool with that, so we had a plan: get in as fast as we can, and put Lizzi on the ground. After the driver constantly saying, "No can! No can! There is 5! No can!"....Lizzi answered, "but there's 4 of us! .....and I'm small!" All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a taxi van appeared and we hopped in there and all made it home safely. Oh, Singapore....
Today (Monday) is a public holiday, so we were all off of school. We went to Ikea for the rest of the day and night. I had the best meal ever, sad to say it was at Ikea hahaha. I had meatballs, wings, and chips (fries for you Americans). We walked around and the girls bought stuff. I am leaving in 4 weeks, it is useless to buy anything. As the weeks are going by, I am getting very excited to go home, but soo sad to leave the amazing people I have met. I am DREADING the actual "farewell," but on the bright side, my Vietnam trip with Katie and Kirsty is in 10 days!!!!! I cannot wait for another adventure! This week is the last week of classes, I cannot believe it! All my "real assignments" are basically done, so for now, I am sitting around until finals. Until another exciting post, Much Love from the Chatty Chong xoxoxo
Tuesday 1 November 2011
Stop and Think
As I was sitting here in Golden Spoon (a canteen I enjoy) and peacefully doing my marketing paper, I could not continue with a paragraph without thinking about social justice. In Singapore, there is a social injustice about maids whether it being in homes or cafes, or even freakin McDonalds.
There is this old lady with gray hair tied up in a bun and faded maroon t-shirt, who works at Golden Spoon everyday. With a frown on her face, she wheels her cart of dirty dishes and chopsticks around the canteen, on a search for more dirty plates to take to the back kitchen for cleaning. All day, she is on her feet, as people hustle and bustle in and out. NOT ONCE have I ever heard a "thank you" from anyone, or "Oh, I got it"...I mean I understand it is the social norm, to leave dirty plates and utensils on the tables and leave, but.... we are all full-grown adults, capable of walking over to the "Tray Return". I just witnessed a lady rolling her eyes and scoffing at this old lady for being her way... really, it's not hard to say 2 words.. "excuse me." What happened to social justice and the need to help others??? Maybe I'm going crazy...
As I watch this lady from table to table, I cannot help but wonder her health and her family. Would her children or grandchildren be proud and happy 'cause of her successes in still making money at such an age? Or, would they be sad to know she is pushed around emotionally as a maid? At such an old age, I feel grief and sorrow for her. I look at my grandparents and wish they live their lives happily in peace and in solace.
On the flip side, my friends and I have decided to get fit, so we are running/jogging every night and motivating each other. Running outside in Singapore heat and humidity, you can imagine how sexy I look with sweat dripping down on every part of my body (hahaha). Alright, back to my paper..... Gotta finish it because Indonesia trip this weekend! Until then, much love from the Chatty Chong xoxoxo
There is this old lady with gray hair tied up in a bun and faded maroon t-shirt, who works at Golden Spoon everyday. With a frown on her face, she wheels her cart of dirty dishes and chopsticks around the canteen, on a search for more dirty plates to take to the back kitchen for cleaning. All day, she is on her feet, as people hustle and bustle in and out. NOT ONCE have I ever heard a "thank you" from anyone, or "Oh, I got it"...I mean I understand it is the social norm, to leave dirty plates and utensils on the tables and leave, but.... we are all full-grown adults, capable of walking over to the "Tray Return". I just witnessed a lady rolling her eyes and scoffing at this old lady for being her way... really, it's not hard to say 2 words.. "excuse me." What happened to social justice and the need to help others??? Maybe I'm going crazy...
As I watch this lady from table to table, I cannot help but wonder her health and her family. Would her children or grandchildren be proud and happy 'cause of her successes in still making money at such an age? Or, would they be sad to know she is pushed around emotionally as a maid? At such an old age, I feel grief and sorrow for her. I look at my grandparents and wish they live their lives happily in peace and in solace.
On the flip side, my friends and I have decided to get fit, so we are running/jogging every night and motivating each other. Running outside in Singapore heat and humidity, you can imagine how sexy I look with sweat dripping down on every part of my body (hahaha). Alright, back to my paper..... Gotta finish it because Indonesia trip this weekend! Until then, much love from the Chatty Chong xoxoxo
Sunday 23 October 2011
Chatty Chong's Back! (Melaka Time)
Ni hao! Sorry that the Chatty Chong hasn't been too chatty lately and blogging. With all the stress and the sudden death of my grandmother (Rest in peace, Choon Cha Cho--my mom's mom), I have kind of lost a piece of myself and put a pause button on my life and forgot to get in touch. But, after a fun-filled and needed weekend with my amazing and supportive friends, I feel like I am ready to be back on track..
Although my LA grandmother ( we call her that, cause she lived out in LA) was a small lady and occasionally wore clothes that did not match, she had a heart that weighed her down. Her heart was filled with love, care, and warmth that was contagious. She was the most caring, happy and lovable person. She never used the word, "no" with my sisters and me. It was if "no" was not in her vocabulary. I remember when we were younger, she would take us to the supermarket with my mom, and we would throw random snacks and candies in the cart, and my mom would yell at us to put it back. My grandma would slap my mom and tell her to leave us alone. Another fond memory is the nest she built for this mama bird and her babies. She always had a soft spot for animals. So because my grandpa is literally a carnivore, and rarely eats veggies (just like me hahaha, probably where I get it from), my grandma would cook all meat dishes for.. breakfast, lunch, AND dinner. She was an excellent cook. Her voice was so bubbly and warm. Finding out about her sudden death out here in Singapore crushed me, there are basically no words to describe the brokenness I felt in the first weeks of October. She had a special place in my heart and I felt as if it was shattered. I forgot what it felt like to smile and laugh. But, with a little help from my friends that I have made, I am getting back on life. With the suddenness of death, I have learned a very important life lesson: To just live life simply and happy, why worry about the small things? For, we may not know if tomorrow is our last day. Death is part of life, and I believe my grandma lived a full and happy one. She gave me a blessing, my mother. I will forever love and miss you, Grandma Choon Cha Cho. My love for you is endless and unconditional. You make me stronger as each day goes by. Rest in peace, for I shall see you again--- jump in your warm loving arms and be greeted by your "grandma" kisses.
This past weekend, my buddies, Lizzi, Fiona, Katie, Kirsty, AM, Leo, Kyu, Dom, and I visited Melaka, a very historical place in Malaysia, yet filled with culture, traditions, great food, and even, creepy critters (haha). We took the bus which was fairly cheap, and although it was uncomfortable, it still gave me an exciting feel to once again, travel out of Singapore and into the new!
We stayed at Groven Travellers Home (hostel). It was definitely an experience I'll never forget.... I slept in a bed with a mosquito net. At first, I was in shock, but heyyy when am I ever going to do this again? And, how many people can say they slept in a net?!? It was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. We grabbed dinner the 1st night at a hawker centre, where I ordered a spicy chicken rice. Being Korean, it was not spicy at all! Bring on the spice! After a few Tiger beers here and there, it was about bed time. The next day would be a full day of history, adventure, and karaoke?
After snoozing my alarm clock a couple times, I took a shower, and met my friends in the "living room" area of the hostel. We visited the Porta de Santiago at the foot of St. Paul's Hill (a Dutch and English influence in Melaka). We climbed up the stairs in the hot hot heat and visited museums (thank sweet baby Jesus for air con!). With Deepavali on the way, we were greeted by very friendly Indians who shared their culture with us by serving us free samples and teaching us how to fry up an Indian classic. We then headed into the heart of Melaka, looked around the side markets, grabbed a few waters and icecreams and it was off to Jonker Street.
Dom, our "international tour guide" (I called him that all weekend, hahaha) took us to a traditional chinese tea tasting place called, Zenghe Teahouse (where I was bit by bugs at least 3434039042 times). The tea was really nice. I felt so "zen" and at peace hahaha. I even bought tea leaves for mommy and daddy back at home. Did I mention how cheap Malaysia is?!? When the lady, said "80 ringgit," I was like hold up lady, what?!? In US dollars, that is about $25! SWEET BRO!
For dinner, we had some sort of Satay Shabu Shabu but Malaysian style, of course. The waiter brought a big boiling pot of chili peanut sauce sort of thing, and placed in our table and turned on the burner. We went in the back, picked out what we wanted, from bok choi to prawns to wantons, we put them on a tray, and dunked them in the boiling pot. Can I just mention how much I enjoyed all the spicy foods I consumed? I was born to be Asian! hahaha. After a few seconds or minutes, we pulled the goodies out, and into our mouths (om nom nom)! It was delicious and so cheap! And of course, accompanying my meal was a big bottle of Tiger. I sware Tiger and I are best friends---THE beer of Asia.
Sidenote: The toilets in Malaysia were NOT proper toilets. It was legit a hole on the ground. God bless my dear friends. I refused and did not use them (hahaha, call me a brat!). They squatted and lived! hahaha.
After dinner, we went to a bar to grab drinks. Katie, Fiona, Lizzi, and I downed 4 cocktails together and then chased it with Tiger (of course). We were feeling pretty damn good, then sweet Katie bought us tequila shots (thank girlfrannn, shout out to you!). A night that ends with tequila ends with "shit getting even more crayyy crayyyy." We proceeded to a karaoke bar, and let me tell you, Asia loves karaoke. We played the latest hits with random Eagles and Beatles music. Lizzi, hating Tay Swift, put "Love Story" on the playlist just for me, thanks girlfrannnn, shout out to you too! After an hour of singing on the top of our lungs and crashing another party's karaoke room, it was time to soak our alcohol up with help from our friend, McDonald's. God Bless for McD!
The next day was our last day in Melaka. We all kind of slept in after a wild night, did I mention, I fell off my chair and wiped out at the bars for all of the people in Melaka....ooops??? We grabbed the famous, Chicken Rice Balls for lunch. They weren't that special, but hey, "When in Melaka." Afterwards, we drove to the bus station, and after 5-6 hours of traveling from this bus to another bus to the mrt, we finally made it back in one piece to Singapore and grabbed dinner at Boon Lay. It was a needed weekend, and I am so happy I went, even if I have 2 presentations on Friday (AHHH!).
You know, Melaka is not a very rich or clean place like Singapore, so I noticed lots of differences, such as a family of rats scurrying around, bugs and trash everywhere, and run-down homes on the river. People should not take their lives for granted. We all must learn to appreciate what we have and quit the complaining. There are people out in Asia who clean their clothes without a washer and eat the scraps off the ground. It bothers me so much and even makes me feel guilty to be able to travel and eat delicious dishes, when there are people suffering. I am fortunate and blessed to have the life I have, to come all the way out here in Singapore, learn and appreciate the culture, people, and food with the company of great people who have made an impact in my life. I will never forget what I saw, ate, and experienced. As the one month mark comes up (til I'm home), I intend to make every minute here a worthwhile one. Until next time, Much love from the Chatty Chong!
Although my LA grandmother ( we call her that, cause she lived out in LA) was a small lady and occasionally wore clothes that did not match, she had a heart that weighed her down. Her heart was filled with love, care, and warmth that was contagious. She was the most caring, happy and lovable person. She never used the word, "no" with my sisters and me. It was if "no" was not in her vocabulary. I remember when we were younger, she would take us to the supermarket with my mom, and we would throw random snacks and candies in the cart, and my mom would yell at us to put it back. My grandma would slap my mom and tell her to leave us alone. Another fond memory is the nest she built for this mama bird and her babies. She always had a soft spot for animals. So because my grandpa is literally a carnivore, and rarely eats veggies (just like me hahaha, probably where I get it from), my grandma would cook all meat dishes for.. breakfast, lunch, AND dinner. She was an excellent cook. Her voice was so bubbly and warm. Finding out about her sudden death out here in Singapore crushed me, there are basically no words to describe the brokenness I felt in the first weeks of October. She had a special place in my heart and I felt as if it was shattered. I forgot what it felt like to smile and laugh. But, with a little help from my friends that I have made, I am getting back on life. With the suddenness of death, I have learned a very important life lesson: To just live life simply and happy, why worry about the small things? For, we may not know if tomorrow is our last day. Death is part of life, and I believe my grandma lived a full and happy one. She gave me a blessing, my mother. I will forever love and miss you, Grandma Choon Cha Cho. My love for you is endless and unconditional. You make me stronger as each day goes by. Rest in peace, for I shall see you again--- jump in your warm loving arms and be greeted by your "grandma" kisses.
This past weekend, my buddies, Lizzi, Fiona, Katie, Kirsty, AM, Leo, Kyu, Dom, and I visited Melaka, a very historical place in Malaysia, yet filled with culture, traditions, great food, and even, creepy critters (haha). We took the bus which was fairly cheap, and although it was uncomfortable, it still gave me an exciting feel to once again, travel out of Singapore and into the new!
We stayed at Groven Travellers Home (hostel). It was definitely an experience I'll never forget.... I slept in a bed with a mosquito net. At first, I was in shock, but heyyy when am I ever going to do this again? And, how many people can say they slept in a net?!? It was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. We grabbed dinner the 1st night at a hawker centre, where I ordered a spicy chicken rice. Being Korean, it was not spicy at all! Bring on the spice! After a few Tiger beers here and there, it was about bed time. The next day would be a full day of history, adventure, and karaoke?
After snoozing my alarm clock a couple times, I took a shower, and met my friends in the "living room" area of the hostel. We visited the Porta de Santiago at the foot of St. Paul's Hill (a Dutch and English influence in Melaka). We climbed up the stairs in the hot hot heat and visited museums (thank sweet baby Jesus for air con!). With Deepavali on the way, we were greeted by very friendly Indians who shared their culture with us by serving us free samples and teaching us how to fry up an Indian classic. We then headed into the heart of Melaka, looked around the side markets, grabbed a few waters and icecreams and it was off to Jonker Street.
Dom, our "international tour guide" (I called him that all weekend, hahaha) took us to a traditional chinese tea tasting place called, Zenghe Teahouse (where I was bit by bugs at least 3434039042 times). The tea was really nice. I felt so "zen" and at peace hahaha. I even bought tea leaves for mommy and daddy back at home. Did I mention how cheap Malaysia is?!? When the lady, said "80 ringgit," I was like hold up lady, what?!? In US dollars, that is about $25! SWEET BRO!
For dinner, we had some sort of Satay Shabu Shabu but Malaysian style, of course. The waiter brought a big boiling pot of chili peanut sauce sort of thing, and placed in our table and turned on the burner. We went in the back, picked out what we wanted, from bok choi to prawns to wantons, we put them on a tray, and dunked them in the boiling pot. Can I just mention how much I enjoyed all the spicy foods I consumed? I was born to be Asian! hahaha. After a few seconds or minutes, we pulled the goodies out, and into our mouths (om nom nom)! It was delicious and so cheap! And of course, accompanying my meal was a big bottle of Tiger. I sware Tiger and I are best friends---THE beer of Asia.
Sidenote: The toilets in Malaysia were NOT proper toilets. It was legit a hole on the ground. God bless my dear friends. I refused and did not use them (hahaha, call me a brat!). They squatted and lived! hahaha.
After dinner, we went to a bar to grab drinks. Katie, Fiona, Lizzi, and I downed 4 cocktails together and then chased it with Tiger (of course). We were feeling pretty damn good, then sweet Katie bought us tequila shots (thank girlfrannn, shout out to you!). A night that ends with tequila ends with "shit getting even more crayyy crayyyy." We proceeded to a karaoke bar, and let me tell you, Asia loves karaoke. We played the latest hits with random Eagles and Beatles music. Lizzi, hating Tay Swift, put "Love Story" on the playlist just for me, thanks girlfrannnn, shout out to you too! After an hour of singing on the top of our lungs and crashing another party's karaoke room, it was time to soak our alcohol up with help from our friend, McDonald's. God Bless for McD!
The next day was our last day in Melaka. We all kind of slept in after a wild night, did I mention, I fell off my chair and wiped out at the bars for all of the people in Melaka....ooops??? We grabbed the famous, Chicken Rice Balls for lunch. They weren't that special, but hey, "When in Melaka." Afterwards, we drove to the bus station, and after 5-6 hours of traveling from this bus to another bus to the mrt, we finally made it back in one piece to Singapore and grabbed dinner at Boon Lay. It was a needed weekend, and I am so happy I went, even if I have 2 presentations on Friday (AHHH!).
You know, Melaka is not a very rich or clean place like Singapore, so I noticed lots of differences, such as a family of rats scurrying around, bugs and trash everywhere, and run-down homes on the river. People should not take their lives for granted. We all must learn to appreciate what we have and quit the complaining. There are people out in Asia who clean their clothes without a washer and eat the scraps off the ground. It bothers me so much and even makes me feel guilty to be able to travel and eat delicious dishes, when there are people suffering. I am fortunate and blessed to have the life I have, to come all the way out here in Singapore, learn and appreciate the culture, people, and food with the company of great people who have made an impact in my life. I will never forget what I saw, ate, and experienced. As the one month mark comes up (til I'm home), I intend to make every minute here a worthwhile one. Until next time, Much love from the Chatty Chong!
Wednesday 5 October 2011
Way DOWN UNDAAAAAAAAAA
"Ello Mate!"... "No Worries, Mate!" .......is what I heard all week in my vacation in Melbourne, Aussie. Took a break from Singapore and went down undaaaaa and explored a different continent!
Bobby, Andrew and I flew to Melbourne with Emirates. It was a nice flight. There were sooo many movies to choose from! I watched all Disney movies of course! I watched "The Princess and the Frog" and "UP"...such great movies. I have anxiety on airplanes, so I barely ate and panicked the whole time as usual. The airplane had terrible turblence so my stomach literally felt like it was jumping from my throat down to my feet. We finally got off and I felt sooo sick. We waited hours for Caitie's arrival from Thailand to Melbourne. Once she arrived, it was off to our hostel, Urban Central.
Urban Central is in the outskirts of the city. It was across from a 24-hour McDonalds, which we did not visit once on our trip. I refused to eat any fast-food, rice, and noodles; I needed Asian-food break. I was very impressed with the hostel. There was a communal kitchen, bar, and computer room. Our family room was so cute. There was a bunk bed, king bed, "living room", tv in the corner, and a bathroom. I did not have anything to complain about, besides the fact it was freezing! It was 4 degrees celsius when we got there, which is 44 degrees Fahrenheit, I believe, so yeah FREEZING COLD, comparing to Singapore's 90 degree weather--sunny, warm, and humid, but it was a nice change. It made me feel like I was at home with the cold weather and autumn.
We explored Melbourne the first day, walking up and down the streets. Melbourne is a beautiful city! There are trams and cable cars on the roads along with the cars and random horse carriages. The Aussies are SO NICE! We had lunch at Young and Jackson, where I had a bagel sandwich with a SALAD...two things I haven't had in MONTHS. I was in Heaven, no joke. After lunch, we walked around some more and familiarized ourselves with the city. We napped and passed out for 8 hours...haha oops? We got up around 10pm and were starving. We went to CROWN Casino. I had a delicious plate of pasta with chicken and spinach with a hunk of parmesan cheese on top. In Aussie, the legal age to gamble is 18, so of course, we gambled. I made 160 Aussie dollars from the Wheel. I was impressed with myself! Maybe it was luck or maybe I am just a closeted professional gambler? One or the other....
The next day, we visited the Rod Laver Arena. Now, I did not know who this was hahaha. He was a famous tennis player, apparently. I am not into tennis, but Bobby (obvii), Andrew, and Caitie are. I was just trodding along. After that, we went to Fitzroy Gardens and Cooks' Cottage. The Gardens were beautiful! Hilarious story...we were taking pictures on this bench and a Chinese lady came up and starting rambling in Chinese. I replied, "I'm sorry I don't speak Chinese." She proceeded to speak anyways and her voice got louder. She actually wanted us to get off the bench so her and her hubby could take pictures... RUUUUDE, girlfrannnn. After that little incident, we went to a rooftop bar, where we had crazy damn good appetizers which included sausage rolls, bread with various dips, spinach Spanakopita, and deep fried polenta sticks. Then we went to a British pub called "The Elephant & Wheelbarrow," where I got two glasses of wine, preparing myself for the wine tour of course. We indulged with french fries ("chips") and nachos, took a cab back, and passed out.
Our first day of tours started with the Yarra Valley Wine Tour. We were the youngest people on the tour. The tour guide (I'm pretty sure) loved us! He was the nicest man ever. We learned to drink wine properly and to "appreciate" its flavors. Each wine place we visited, somebody was explaining the flavor and instructing us to look, smell, and swirl the wine, when really we just downed that bad boy. Go American College Students! hahaha. The instructor would say, "Ok, now drink your wine"...our glasses were always empty. I love wine, I couldn't help myself. Besides the wine, our lunch was fantastic! So fancy! One of my favorite wines is Chandon, which is sparkly, bubbly wine. I finally got my wine and cheese at Chandon as well. The view of the mountains and vineyards was absolutely breathtaking. I could not believe how beautiful it was. I never wanted to leave that place. With wine in one hand, great friends, and a beautiful view, I was very content with my life. After a long day of trying wines, we all took a snoozer on the ride back to the city. For dinner, we decided to treat ourselves to steak at "Squires Loft." My mouth was having a party, I love steak! It was perfectly cooked with a warm baked potato. After dinner, we went back to our hostel and slept, ready for another tour.
Our second tour was to Phillip Island to see Aussie critters! For breakfast we went to Babka Bakery (Russian). It was unbelievably delicious! I had Russian Breakfast tea with a herb omelette with cheese and freshly-baked bread. I had a plan to indulge and spoil my stomach, and I was doing it justice in Melbourne. We grabbed some lunch from Babka as well and off to Phillip Island! We first went to a farm with the typical farm animals: goats, cows, horses.... and of course being in Aussie, there were kangaroos and wombats! I FED, PETTED, AND HUNG OUT WITH KANGAROOS! I have always wanted to do that, and I did it! I can "check it off" on my "bucket list." Kangaroos are such sweet animals! I was so excited, probably more excited than the children on our tour bus. After that, it was time to see koala bears! They looked like huge fluffy gray balls; they were up in the trees sleeping away. I was a foot away from a sleeping koala bear! They are soo adorable, but if you mess with them, they will claw your face off! Such cute, vicious creatures! It was finally time to go to the actual Phillip Island to see penguins! But before, we saw a field of wallabies (mini-versions of kangaroos) and took pictures on top of a cliff of an ocean view where penguins climb up to get home (very steep!). It was a beautiful view! We got to the penguin parade just in time and purchased ponchos to sit on. It was pouring rain.. rain or shine, the penguins were coming! They swam out of the ocean and waddled up the shore to their homes. I was right next to penguins! They are adorable little things, waddling to go home. I felt so Aussie at that moment, hanging out with kangaroos, koala bears, and penguins! (felt a bit like Steve Irwin ....may he rest in peace).
The third and last tour we went on was a Sports/Beer Brewery Tour. We visited the Melbourne Cricket Grounds, Flemington Horse Race Grounds, and drove on the Formula 1 Racecar tracks. I personally did not care too much about the sports tour, I was just looking forward to the beer! We visited the Carlton Brewhouse and saw how the beer was made. We were all given 4 glasses and chose the beer we wanted to sample. I got the Carlton Mild, Pure Blonde, Cascade, and Bulmer's. Now, Bulmer's is a special beer... it is a Cider, and it is life-changing. It was the most tasty and delicious beer/cider I have ever had; it is probably my new favorite drink. It needs to get imported to the USA right away. For dinner we went to an Italian restaurant where we had endless garlic bread, cheese platter, wine, chicken marsala, and pastas. Such a great meal to end the day.
Queen Victoria Market was the next "place to visit" on our Melbourne list. For breakfast, we went to this cute cafe where I had hot chocolate (SO GOOOOOD and WARM) with Eggs Benedict...absolutely fabulous! We rented and rode bikes to the market. I haven't been on a bike in years and I was surprised on how normal it felt, although it was terrifying sharing the roads with cars and buses and trams! Queen Victoria is a huge market where one can find fresh vegetables and fruits, every Aussie souvenir you can think of, and endless shopping. We ate at the Vic Market Place where I had a huge block of lasagna with a hunk of cheese right on top....oooooh I was loving life...cheese and all!
For our last night in Melbourne, we went to P.J. O'Brien's (Irish pub) for dinner and drinks. I had a fat hamburger with fries. I had way too much Bulmer's Cider and felt pretty good towards the end of the night. I danced, sang, and had a great last night with Caitie, Andrew, and Bobby. In PJ's, we were the youngest people and got carded! SAY WHAT. The pub was full of cougars, old people, and weird people, but it was so funny to people-watch. It was a great night to end my week of Melbourne, by the way Melbourne is pronounced "Mel-bin"...ha!
On our last day in the beautiful city, we had lunch at an Italian place. I had a caprese pizza bread....soooo good! I think we were all depressed when we got up that morning, knowing that we would have to leave and return back to Asia. Something that really was depressing was that I did not get to see Erin and CJ in Melbourne. They are actually studying there at Monash Uni. Erin and CJ were on THEIR break, so we had just missed them! It would have been more fun with them there to show us around and explore together, but hey I still had an amazing time in Melbourne. One day I will be back to visit and make my way up to Sydney and the Outback! Did I mention how hot the Aussie accent is? I was loving the boys!!!!! I will never forget my time in Melbourne.
.... Back in Singapore now with less than 2 months left! I cannot believe it, seriously. I just got here! Where did the time go? October will be stressful with lots of presentations to prepare for----a huge chunk of my grade.. I guess I should start actually doing work. Studying abroad and school work? WHAT? =) Tomorrow night I am going to Marina Bay Sands with the girls and Loyola boys to see.......LION KING BROADWAY! sooo stoked! Until that production, Much love from the Chatty Chong! xoxoxoxo
Bobby, Andrew and I flew to Melbourne with Emirates. It was a nice flight. There were sooo many movies to choose from! I watched all Disney movies of course! I watched "The Princess and the Frog" and "UP"...such great movies. I have anxiety on airplanes, so I barely ate and panicked the whole time as usual. The airplane had terrible turblence so my stomach literally felt like it was jumping from my throat down to my feet. We finally got off and I felt sooo sick. We waited hours for Caitie's arrival from Thailand to Melbourne. Once she arrived, it was off to our hostel, Urban Central.
Urban Central is in the outskirts of the city. It was across from a 24-hour McDonalds, which we did not visit once on our trip. I refused to eat any fast-food, rice, and noodles; I needed Asian-food break. I was very impressed with the hostel. There was a communal kitchen, bar, and computer room. Our family room was so cute. There was a bunk bed, king bed, "living room", tv in the corner, and a bathroom. I did not have anything to complain about, besides the fact it was freezing! It was 4 degrees celsius when we got there, which is 44 degrees Fahrenheit, I believe, so yeah FREEZING COLD, comparing to Singapore's 90 degree weather--sunny, warm, and humid, but it was a nice change. It made me feel like I was at home with the cold weather and autumn.
We explored Melbourne the first day, walking up and down the streets. Melbourne is a beautiful city! There are trams and cable cars on the roads along with the cars and random horse carriages. The Aussies are SO NICE! We had lunch at Young and Jackson, where I had a bagel sandwich with a SALAD...two things I haven't had in MONTHS. I was in Heaven, no joke. After lunch, we walked around some more and familiarized ourselves with the city. We napped and passed out for 8 hours...haha oops? We got up around 10pm and were starving. We went to CROWN Casino. I had a delicious plate of pasta with chicken and spinach with a hunk of parmesan cheese on top. In Aussie, the legal age to gamble is 18, so of course, we gambled. I made 160 Aussie dollars from the Wheel. I was impressed with myself! Maybe it was luck or maybe I am just a closeted professional gambler? One or the other....
The next day, we visited the Rod Laver Arena. Now, I did not know who this was hahaha. He was a famous tennis player, apparently. I am not into tennis, but Bobby (obvii), Andrew, and Caitie are. I was just trodding along. After that, we went to Fitzroy Gardens and Cooks' Cottage. The Gardens were beautiful! Hilarious story...we were taking pictures on this bench and a Chinese lady came up and starting rambling in Chinese. I replied, "I'm sorry I don't speak Chinese." She proceeded to speak anyways and her voice got louder. She actually wanted us to get off the bench so her and her hubby could take pictures... RUUUUDE, girlfrannnn. After that little incident, we went to a rooftop bar, where we had crazy damn good appetizers which included sausage rolls, bread with various dips, spinach Spanakopita, and deep fried polenta sticks. Then we went to a British pub called "The Elephant & Wheelbarrow," where I got two glasses of wine, preparing myself for the wine tour of course. We indulged with french fries ("chips") and nachos, took a cab back, and passed out.
Our first day of tours started with the Yarra Valley Wine Tour. We were the youngest people on the tour. The tour guide (I'm pretty sure) loved us! He was the nicest man ever. We learned to drink wine properly and to "appreciate" its flavors. Each wine place we visited, somebody was explaining the flavor and instructing us to look, smell, and swirl the wine, when really we just downed that bad boy. Go American College Students! hahaha. The instructor would say, "Ok, now drink your wine"...our glasses were always empty. I love wine, I couldn't help myself. Besides the wine, our lunch was fantastic! So fancy! One of my favorite wines is Chandon, which is sparkly, bubbly wine. I finally got my wine and cheese at Chandon as well. The view of the mountains and vineyards was absolutely breathtaking. I could not believe how beautiful it was. I never wanted to leave that place. With wine in one hand, great friends, and a beautiful view, I was very content with my life. After a long day of trying wines, we all took a snoozer on the ride back to the city. For dinner, we decided to treat ourselves to steak at "Squires Loft." My mouth was having a party, I love steak! It was perfectly cooked with a warm baked potato. After dinner, we went back to our hostel and slept, ready for another tour.
Our second tour was to Phillip Island to see Aussie critters! For breakfast we went to Babka Bakery (Russian). It was unbelievably delicious! I had Russian Breakfast tea with a herb omelette with cheese and freshly-baked bread. I had a plan to indulge and spoil my stomach, and I was doing it justice in Melbourne. We grabbed some lunch from Babka as well and off to Phillip Island! We first went to a farm with the typical farm animals: goats, cows, horses.... and of course being in Aussie, there were kangaroos and wombats! I FED, PETTED, AND HUNG OUT WITH KANGAROOS! I have always wanted to do that, and I did it! I can "check it off" on my "bucket list." Kangaroos are such sweet animals! I was so excited, probably more excited than the children on our tour bus. After that, it was time to see koala bears! They looked like huge fluffy gray balls; they were up in the trees sleeping away. I was a foot away from a sleeping koala bear! They are soo adorable, but if you mess with them, they will claw your face off! Such cute, vicious creatures! It was finally time to go to the actual Phillip Island to see penguins! But before, we saw a field of wallabies (mini-versions of kangaroos) and took pictures on top of a cliff of an ocean view where penguins climb up to get home (very steep!). It was a beautiful view! We got to the penguin parade just in time and purchased ponchos to sit on. It was pouring rain.. rain or shine, the penguins were coming! They swam out of the ocean and waddled up the shore to their homes. I was right next to penguins! They are adorable little things, waddling to go home. I felt so Aussie at that moment, hanging out with kangaroos, koala bears, and penguins! (felt a bit like Steve Irwin ....may he rest in peace).
The third and last tour we went on was a Sports/Beer Brewery Tour. We visited the Melbourne Cricket Grounds, Flemington Horse Race Grounds, and drove on the Formula 1 Racecar tracks. I personally did not care too much about the sports tour, I was just looking forward to the beer! We visited the Carlton Brewhouse and saw how the beer was made. We were all given 4 glasses and chose the beer we wanted to sample. I got the Carlton Mild, Pure Blonde, Cascade, and Bulmer's. Now, Bulmer's is a special beer... it is a Cider, and it is life-changing. It was the most tasty and delicious beer/cider I have ever had; it is probably my new favorite drink. It needs to get imported to the USA right away. For dinner we went to an Italian restaurant where we had endless garlic bread, cheese platter, wine, chicken marsala, and pastas. Such a great meal to end the day.
Queen Victoria Market was the next "place to visit" on our Melbourne list. For breakfast, we went to this cute cafe where I had hot chocolate (SO GOOOOOD and WARM) with Eggs Benedict...absolutely fabulous! We rented and rode bikes to the market. I haven't been on a bike in years and I was surprised on how normal it felt, although it was terrifying sharing the roads with cars and buses and trams! Queen Victoria is a huge market where one can find fresh vegetables and fruits, every Aussie souvenir you can think of, and endless shopping. We ate at the Vic Market Place where I had a huge block of lasagna with a hunk of cheese right on top....oooooh I was loving life...cheese and all!
For our last night in Melbourne, we went to P.J. O'Brien's (Irish pub) for dinner and drinks. I had a fat hamburger with fries. I had way too much Bulmer's Cider and felt pretty good towards the end of the night. I danced, sang, and had a great last night with Caitie, Andrew, and Bobby. In PJ's, we were the youngest people and got carded! SAY WHAT. The pub was full of cougars, old people, and weird people, but it was so funny to people-watch. It was a great night to end my week of Melbourne, by the way Melbourne is pronounced "Mel-bin"...ha!
On our last day in the beautiful city, we had lunch at an Italian place. I had a caprese pizza bread....soooo good! I think we were all depressed when we got up that morning, knowing that we would have to leave and return back to Asia. Something that really was depressing was that I did not get to see Erin and CJ in Melbourne. They are actually studying there at Monash Uni. Erin and CJ were on THEIR break, so we had just missed them! It would have been more fun with them there to show us around and explore together, but hey I still had an amazing time in Melbourne. One day I will be back to visit and make my way up to Sydney and the Outback! Did I mention how hot the Aussie accent is? I was loving the boys!!!!! I will never forget my time in Melbourne.
.... Back in Singapore now with less than 2 months left! I cannot believe it, seriously. I just got here! Where did the time go? October will be stressful with lots of presentations to prepare for----a huge chunk of my grade.. I guess I should start actually doing work. Studying abroad and school work? WHAT? =) Tomorrow night I am going to Marina Bay Sands with the girls and Loyola boys to see.......LION KING BROADWAY! sooo stoked! Until that production, Much love from the Chatty Chong! xoxoxoxo
Tuesday 20 September 2011
Best Tuesday Ever!
So as you know Tuesdays I have no class.....I usually do the same thing on my Tuesdays: sleep in, do laundry, eat lunch, stare at the walls out of boredom, and do work all day, but today was no ordinary Tuesday! It was a fun-filled and very rainy Tuesday!
I spent my Tuesday with Jolene, Gerlynn, and Lotta, who are girls in my PR writing group. Jolene and Gerlynn are locals, born and raised in Singapore and Lotta is from Sweden. Did I mention there are over 70 people from Sweden? They beat us! I think America is 3rd? Anywho, we went out to lunch, to a Japanese restaurant called "Waraku" followed by a "dessert" drink (bubble tea to be exact) from "Gong Cha."
Waraku was DELICIOUS! It was sooo nice to have "real food" instead of canteen food. There was a special too, you can get noodles and rice for $9! Not too shabby. I got Udon noodles and "Chicken Katsu Don", which is basically rice with eggs and chicken. When they served you the food, two spoons were given, one for rice, and another for noodles. Singaporeans have a special way to eat their noodles; with chopsticks in one hand, spoon in the other, they put their noodles onto the spoon and slurp it up! I cannot explain how happy I was at that moment. The food was warm and comforting. Sipping on Chinese tea, with "zen" music playing in the background, good company, and good food, I was having such a lovely time with the girls. We got to know each other more by talking about our homes, families, and "girl stuff." I learned so much about Singapore and Sweden in one sitting! The girls are all so sweet! In fact, Jolene's boyfriend is studying at Penn State U and they visited Ocean City, MD...such a small world! Ahhh Ocean Shitty... I miss you. hahaha.
After walking around and digesting our Japanese feast, we were off to Gong Cha. Bubble Tea is the speciality, basically it is pearl milk tea. The pearls are black squishy jelly balls. I personally do not like them, but it is a very popular drink! So popular that customers are given a number to wait to be made and get their drink. I got a drink that had Ovaltine in it with cereal. It tasted like a less sweeter version of chocolate milk with bits of cereal. It was cold and refreshing, and a nice "ending" to my Japanese meal. I am just getting the best of Singapore! haha. I love hanging out with the locals, they know what is good and what is not. I love food and they love food, so food brought us together hahaha. We had such nice chats too. I really enjoyed my day.
Tonight, there was an Oktoberfest event at Hall 12. There was beer and sasuages---so German lol, except the beer was Carlsberg which is Danish.....Diversity? hahaha. I had a sasuage, of course! So yummy! I didn't get to indulge in beer because I'm still on allergy medication and I don't want to jinx it! There was a pool of Exchange students there and it was a nice atmosphere. It was nice to run into new and old Exchange friends, nice community and company. Although, it would have been sick to actually celebrate Oktoberfest in Germany, so you Loyola abroaders in Europe, I am envious of you! Represent Loyola well and go cray cray! <3 But, overall it was a nice "event" to end my Fun Tuesday.
4 more days until down unda in Aussie! SOOOO excited! This is a short and sweet post; I usually don't post about Tuesdays haha, but this Tuesday was really special, since it was my first time hanging out with locals off campus and trying new foods! I LOVED it! Until next time, Much love from the Chatty Chong! xoxo
P.S. I know Swedish, well only "hey! how are you?" hahaha, it's "ey humudo"...I definitely butchered the spelling...but you get the idea! hahaha I love my international life!
I spent my Tuesday with Jolene, Gerlynn, and Lotta, who are girls in my PR writing group. Jolene and Gerlynn are locals, born and raised in Singapore and Lotta is from Sweden. Did I mention there are over 70 people from Sweden? They beat us! I think America is 3rd? Anywho, we went out to lunch, to a Japanese restaurant called "Waraku" followed by a "dessert" drink (bubble tea to be exact) from "Gong Cha."
Waraku was DELICIOUS! It was sooo nice to have "real food" instead of canteen food. There was a special too, you can get noodles and rice for $9! Not too shabby. I got Udon noodles and "Chicken Katsu Don", which is basically rice with eggs and chicken. When they served you the food, two spoons were given, one for rice, and another for noodles. Singaporeans have a special way to eat their noodles; with chopsticks in one hand, spoon in the other, they put their noodles onto the spoon and slurp it up! I cannot explain how happy I was at that moment. The food was warm and comforting. Sipping on Chinese tea, with "zen" music playing in the background, good company, and good food, I was having such a lovely time with the girls. We got to know each other more by talking about our homes, families, and "girl stuff." I learned so much about Singapore and Sweden in one sitting! The girls are all so sweet! In fact, Jolene's boyfriend is studying at Penn State U and they visited Ocean City, MD...such a small world! Ahhh Ocean Shitty... I miss you. hahaha.
After walking around and digesting our Japanese feast, we were off to Gong Cha. Bubble Tea is the speciality, basically it is pearl milk tea. The pearls are black squishy jelly balls. I personally do not like them, but it is a very popular drink! So popular that customers are given a number to wait to be made and get their drink. I got a drink that had Ovaltine in it with cereal. It tasted like a less sweeter version of chocolate milk with bits of cereal. It was cold and refreshing, and a nice "ending" to my Japanese meal. I am just getting the best of Singapore! haha. I love hanging out with the locals, they know what is good and what is not. I love food and they love food, so food brought us together hahaha. We had such nice chats too. I really enjoyed my day.
Tonight, there was an Oktoberfest event at Hall 12. There was beer and sasuages---so German lol, except the beer was Carlsberg which is Danish.....Diversity? hahaha. I had a sasuage, of course! So yummy! I didn't get to indulge in beer because I'm still on allergy medication and I don't want to jinx it! There was a pool of Exchange students there and it was a nice atmosphere. It was nice to run into new and old Exchange friends, nice community and company. Although, it would have been sick to actually celebrate Oktoberfest in Germany, so you Loyola abroaders in Europe, I am envious of you! Represent Loyola well and go cray cray! <3 But, overall it was a nice "event" to end my Fun Tuesday.
4 more days until down unda in Aussie! SOOOO excited! This is a short and sweet post; I usually don't post about Tuesdays haha, but this Tuesday was really special, since it was my first time hanging out with locals off campus and trying new foods! I LOVED it! Until next time, Much love from the Chatty Chong! xoxo
P.S. I know Swedish, well only "hey! how are you?" hahaha, it's "ey humudo"...I definitely butchered the spelling...but you get the idea! hahaha I love my international life!
Sunday 18 September 2011
When in doubt, PEACE it out.
Happy Sunday!!
This was a rather boring yet chill weekend for me. This is the week before Recess Week, where I will be spending an exciting week in Melbourne, Australia with Andrew, Caitie, and Bobby. I needed to catch up on work and such... get the nitty gritty things done before I leave Singapore for a week, hence why it was a "boring yet chill" weekend.
My health status: Better. After 3 long days of resting and missing out on lectures, I feel so much better. I got more medication, so I should be good to go for Aussie, except my headaches have been killer lately, especially in the sinus area of my face. Still a little congested here and there, but I will be okay! (just in case if you were wondering...)
On Friday, Fiona, Bobby, Leo, Andrew, Justin and I went to Jurong Point for dinner where I had a spicy Korean stew (yuk-kae-jang) that my mommy makes at home. It was expensive, but I missed the Korean cuisine. It tasted nothing like mom's, but it was an acceptable substitute. It definitely had a spicy kick to it, which I enjoyed. I love me some spicy food! After dinner, we decided to watch a film at the Golden Village in the shopping centre. We bought tickets ($10.50 each) to see "Crazy Stupid Love." What is interesting about the movies here is that it is assigned seating. The concession stand's foods cracked me up. They served mashed potatoes and cheese sasuages....not my favorite, instead I bought a box's worth of sweet popcorn ($5 each). I would say the prices were the same as home's, but at home, I never go to the movies because it costs too much! But hey, when in Singapore (when in Rome) haha. Our movie did not start until midnight, so we had 2 hours to kill. We went into 2 "play areas" which reminded me of adult version sizes of Chuck E. Cheese. I did not play any games, but the boys did. Boys love video games! I did play one round of DDR (dance dance revolution) with Bobby. HA, DDR reminded me of middle school days, going to the movies, and watching competitions against people... oooh middle school.. the days of awkwardness, puberty, and sass.
After watching the boys beat the highest scores and run around playing the next game, we headed back to Golden Village. Our seats were not bad at all. The movie had Chinese subtitles, which was definitely new to me. I thought it was cool haha. "Crazy Stupid Love" ended up being a great movie! It was about love (obviously) and how dysfunctional it can get, but in the end, everyone deserves and wants love. I felt a little bad for the boys to sit through a romantic-comedy chick flick, haha. I warned them! haha, but Steve Carrell was in it, and heyyy that man is a genius! His best role is Brick from "Anchorman." I enjoyed my first movie experience in Singapore, so I call that night a GREAT SUCCESS.
On Saturday, Sanaz, Fiona, Meg, and I spent our day at Marina Bay for Marina Bay Day! It was basically a "touristy" day where we saw the big attractions, modeled our peace signs and took numerous photos in Marina Bay. We visited the Helix bridge, Merlion, Esplanade, and even ended up on Arab Street. The weather was very strange. It started out as an ominous, gray, and cloudy day but then miraculously transformed into a sunny, bright, and hot day. Singapore is bi-polar with its weather, just like good ol' Baltimore. I don't know why but we find the peace sign pose very amusing in pictures, so in almost every picture we have peace signs up. In fact, when we were taking pictures in front of the Merlion, a group of Asian people asked to take pictures with us! Now is that racist or.... appreciation of diversity? HA. I personally did not care and enjoyed the fun. PEACE SIGNS FOR EVERYONE! lol.
Sanaz, Fiona, and I had dinner on Arab Street which I believe is near Little India. I had a Malay dish, Seafood Mee Goreng, which is basically fried noodles with seafood, but I decided to "kick it up a notch" and get it spicy. I must have a tolerance for spicy food, because it was not spicy at all. It was actually nice. At first, I was skeptical, but since I have been here for almost 3 months, I have enjoyed trying new dishes and opening my palate to new flavors. It ended up being a very nice evening too, with the sun going down and nice calm breezes within the Street. We were so exhausted from walking around in the sun all day, so we took the mrt back to NTU. I ended up staying in my room, relaxing and chatting with friends and family back at home for the rest of the night and slept like a baby. Oh, and we booked tours for Aussie and my poor bank account is crying and begging me to stop abusing it. HA.. oops...I need a lesson on budgeting.
I cannot believe that my Australia trip is in nearly 6 days! I remember sitting in my living room with my parents and Bobby and Andrew on the phone booking it few months back. I remember being so excited and nervous at the same time. Time really flies. People ought to appreciate what they have and not spoil it. I still cannot believe I have been in Singapore for over 2 months now. I have met amazing friends, tried new dishes, and opened my heart to culture and people. I love traveling. I love Singapore. Most importantly, I have learned to find myself and the person I want to become.
Now all there is left to do is to wait and get through this week off to DOWN UNDA (that's Australia, if you didn't get it). I am really sad I won't be able to see Erin or CJ there, but that is OK! How amazing would it have been to hang out with Loyola people in Aussie!?! Oh, how I miss my Loyola lovers and EGs. I hope everyone is doing well, staying healthy, and happy =) I've got to run now, I'm going to eat dinner with another family friend from Singapore. Can't wait to see what I try tonight! Until next time, Much Love from the Chatty Chong! xo
This was a rather boring yet chill weekend for me. This is the week before Recess Week, where I will be spending an exciting week in Melbourne, Australia with Andrew, Caitie, and Bobby. I needed to catch up on work and such... get the nitty gritty things done before I leave Singapore for a week, hence why it was a "boring yet chill" weekend.
My health status: Better. After 3 long days of resting and missing out on lectures, I feel so much better. I got more medication, so I should be good to go for Aussie, except my headaches have been killer lately, especially in the sinus area of my face. Still a little congested here and there, but I will be okay! (just in case if you were wondering...)
On Friday, Fiona, Bobby, Leo, Andrew, Justin and I went to Jurong Point for dinner where I had a spicy Korean stew (yuk-kae-jang) that my mommy makes at home. It was expensive, but I missed the Korean cuisine. It tasted nothing like mom's, but it was an acceptable substitute. It definitely had a spicy kick to it, which I enjoyed. I love me some spicy food! After dinner, we decided to watch a film at the Golden Village in the shopping centre. We bought tickets ($10.50 each) to see "Crazy Stupid Love." What is interesting about the movies here is that it is assigned seating. The concession stand's foods cracked me up. They served mashed potatoes and cheese sasuages....not my favorite, instead I bought a box's worth of sweet popcorn ($5 each). I would say the prices were the same as home's, but at home, I never go to the movies because it costs too much! But hey, when in Singapore (when in Rome) haha. Our movie did not start until midnight, so we had 2 hours to kill. We went into 2 "play areas" which reminded me of adult version sizes of Chuck E. Cheese. I did not play any games, but the boys did. Boys love video games! I did play one round of DDR (dance dance revolution) with Bobby. HA, DDR reminded me of middle school days, going to the movies, and watching competitions against people... oooh middle school.. the days of awkwardness, puberty, and sass.
After watching the boys beat the highest scores and run around playing the next game, we headed back to Golden Village. Our seats were not bad at all. The movie had Chinese subtitles, which was definitely new to me. I thought it was cool haha. "Crazy Stupid Love" ended up being a great movie! It was about love (obviously) and how dysfunctional it can get, but in the end, everyone deserves and wants love. I felt a little bad for the boys to sit through a romantic-comedy chick flick, haha. I warned them! haha, but Steve Carrell was in it, and heyyy that man is a genius! His best role is Brick from "Anchorman." I enjoyed my first movie experience in Singapore, so I call that night a GREAT SUCCESS.
On Saturday, Sanaz, Fiona, Meg, and I spent our day at Marina Bay for Marina Bay Day! It was basically a "touristy" day where we saw the big attractions, modeled our peace signs and took numerous photos in Marina Bay. We visited the Helix bridge, Merlion, Esplanade, and even ended up on Arab Street. The weather was very strange. It started out as an ominous, gray, and cloudy day but then miraculously transformed into a sunny, bright, and hot day. Singapore is bi-polar with its weather, just like good ol' Baltimore. I don't know why but we find the peace sign pose very amusing in pictures, so in almost every picture we have peace signs up. In fact, when we were taking pictures in front of the Merlion, a group of Asian people asked to take pictures with us! Now is that racist or.... appreciation of diversity? HA. I personally did not care and enjoyed the fun. PEACE SIGNS FOR EVERYONE! lol.
Sanaz, Fiona, and I had dinner on Arab Street which I believe is near Little India. I had a Malay dish, Seafood Mee Goreng, which is basically fried noodles with seafood, but I decided to "kick it up a notch" and get it spicy. I must have a tolerance for spicy food, because it was not spicy at all. It was actually nice. At first, I was skeptical, but since I have been here for almost 3 months, I have enjoyed trying new dishes and opening my palate to new flavors. It ended up being a very nice evening too, with the sun going down and nice calm breezes within the Street. We were so exhausted from walking around in the sun all day, so we took the mrt back to NTU. I ended up staying in my room, relaxing and chatting with friends and family back at home for the rest of the night and slept like a baby. Oh, and we booked tours for Aussie and my poor bank account is crying and begging me to stop abusing it. HA.. oops...I need a lesson on budgeting.
I cannot believe that my Australia trip is in nearly 6 days! I remember sitting in my living room with my parents and Bobby and Andrew on the phone booking it few months back. I remember being so excited and nervous at the same time. Time really flies. People ought to appreciate what they have and not spoil it. I still cannot believe I have been in Singapore for over 2 months now. I have met amazing friends, tried new dishes, and opened my heart to culture and people. I love traveling. I love Singapore. Most importantly, I have learned to find myself and the person I want to become.
Now all there is left to do is to wait and get through this week off to DOWN UNDA (that's Australia, if you didn't get it). I am really sad I won't be able to see Erin or CJ there, but that is OK! How amazing would it have been to hang out with Loyola people in Aussie!?! Oh, how I miss my Loyola lovers and EGs. I hope everyone is doing well, staying healthy, and happy =) I've got to run now, I'm going to eat dinner with another family friend from Singapore. Can't wait to see what I try tonight! Until next time, Much Love from the Chatty Chong! xo
Monday 12 September 2011
Sniffly in Singapore Part 2
From lantern-making to Staff Club McDelivery chaos and to a failed attempt to get to Turtle Island, but ended up at Fort Siloso to a visit to the 24-hour clinic...this weekend was... chill yet interesting and "sucky" at the same time. Oh, and it was Bobby's 20th birthday, so shoutout to Bobby!
On Friday, we stayed on campus and went to the Mid-Autumn/Lantern festival at the Garden across from Chinese Heritage Centre. It was a hands-on, interactive, and fun festival where we learned about culture. We tried traditional Chinese tea, made lanterns and an origami flower, and watched a magic show all in Chinese! I tried fish balls for the first time... it was very squishy and fishy, not my favorite, but I was happy to finally give it a try after making fun of its name, "Fish BALLS." I felt like a kid running around with my friends, going to different sites and waiting impatiently in the queues. Origami flower-making was quite a show. I am terrible at arts and crafts, so I had a few times where the girl had to take my flower away and fix it up, hahaha, same with Campbell, so I was not alone! Lantern-making was a lot of fun too, we each got cups with handles and hand-painted them. I wrote my middle name, Haesun, in Korean, I thought it was appropriate since I was at an Asian festival. My cups ended up in flames though, because after watching Ed play with hot wax and relighting his candle, I thought I would give it a try...oops, my B. After that, we watched a magic show in Chinese, it was very fascinating to watch. Even though it was Chinese, we knew exactly what was going on, interesting how language works, hmm? It was nice to do something sober and cultural, instead of being on the Bridge and drinking away our sorrows from school (lol).
After stealing many lanterns and random things off the ground from the festival, Campbell, Leo and I headed to the hawker centre behind NTU. We were walking aimlessly in circles and loops, not knowing where we were going. Apparently, Jurong Point is known as the "ghetto" in Singapore, but really Singapore does not know ghetto, unless they have visited good ol' Baltimore haha. We finally made it to the 24 hour hawker centre, where I ordered teriyaki chicken with chips (fries) and a salad. The chicken was soo good, nice and juicy full with flavors. The boys got Singapore's famous, Chili crab with rice, a veggie dish, and cute balls of bread. We ended up staying there for 4 hours, just relaxing, chatting, and getting to know each other more on a personal level. It was a very nice night. Campbell and Leo are such genuinely nice people. They have great stories to share and are nice company. With our stomaches happy and satisfied, we walked back to NTU and slipped into our beds.
After sleeping for hours and hours, I woke up to a rainy Saturday. Katie, Kirsty, and I headed to Jurong Point mall at Boon Lay and had lunch at, "New York New York," their tagline, "It's all American, baby!"....except it was not American, more like fake-American. I ordered pizza, it was like the pizza you eat in elementary school cafeterias. But for Singapore, I'll give them some credit, hahaha. We walked around after lunch and eventually headed back. I did some work here and there, and then went to Katie's room to watch "Ratatouille" with Kirsty. At around 8pm, we had dinner with Andrew, Bobby, and Justin at canteen 2, then it was off to Staff Club for Bobby's party, night two. It was some-what chill, nothing too crazy. Katie and I played some pool...which I am awful at! Funny story, so Katie got us two pints of Tiger...but the barman ran out of pint glasses, so he gave us half-pint glasses, I was upset 'cause we paid money for a full pint, so I went to the toilets, washed the half-pint glass and stole the cup! TAKE THAT! muhahaha. I enjoy drinking at the Staff Club and hanging out with friends...it's like a high school reunion, because other groups of Exchange students go there, and we all end up getting to know each other again and just being typical college kids, ranting about school work, what we are going to do on the weekends, and etc.
On Sunday, we were going to visit Kusu Island, where the turtle sanctuary is located. Don't rely on Wikipedia, they give you false information! We ended up at the wrong ferry. No big deal, we headed off to Sentosa Island. We had lunch at "Cafe del Mar," where we had acceptable western food. I had a wrap with chicken and lettuce with fries...it was not bad at all! It was much better than what the canteens on campus make. In hopes of getting tan, we walked around in the boiling heat and sun, trying to find Fort Siloso. By the way, there were peacocks and monkeys casually running around the place...NBD!
Fort Siloso, Sentosa was the coastal artillery fort in Singapore during war. We learned a lot about the military bases and the battles Singapore was involved with. Trying to focus and concentrate on what was going around, my eyes started to water and my nose was itchy, to the point, where I was blowing my nose every ten seconds. I tried to ignore it, until I felt a bit dizzy from the heat, and couldn't breathe normally. I tried to brush it off, stealing as many napkins around Sentosa. We got to Vivo City to head back to NTU, where I could not take it anymore, so I ran over to Watson's to grab some medication. Nothing seemed to work as I was closing my eyes and holding my nose from the itchy pain on the mrt. We had dinner at Pioneer Station hawker centre and had delicious Indian food, but I could not appreciate the flavors, as I had to excuse myself to purchase more tissues and to get a breath of air. I was starting to worry so we went back to NTU.
I could not get myself to breathe normally without sneezing and wiping my nose every few seconds. I was skyping Libbie and afterwards Allie, and could not think right with my eyes swollen and dry, I could not hold a conversation without putting my head down....right there, I knew something was not right. I texted Jing Ying and Luo Er (my Singaporean friends) and asked them where the closest hospital or clinics were. Jing Ying offered to drive me over to the 24 hour clinic in Clementi. The doctor told me I have severe allergies due to the burning of trees in Indonesia. The debris and smoke blow into Singapore, hence why it was foggy and gray, and has affected me badly. He advised me to stay indoors and gave me two types of medication. It's like allergies on steroids...
Today, which is Monday, I slept in til about noon and tried to get back on my feet. I had lunch with Fiona in canteen 13 where Andrew, Bobby, and Justin ran into us. Canteen 13's doors are always open with the wind blowing in and out. I could barely enjoy my meal, without my eyes and nose irritating me.. I could not even last 30 minutes outside, I had to go back to my room. So, now here I am on my bed, I feel like a prisoner, not allowed out of my room, unless I want to practically die. I hope the two medications kick in soon. Here we go again, being sick.... really stinks. Australia is only 12 days away.... counting down until I can cuddle with a kangaroo and hear, "Crikey, Mate!" haha. Until next time, Much love from the Chatty Chong!
More vocab coming your way.........
pudding = dessert
On Friday, we stayed on campus and went to the Mid-Autumn/Lantern festival at the Garden across from Chinese Heritage Centre. It was a hands-on, interactive, and fun festival where we learned about culture. We tried traditional Chinese tea, made lanterns and an origami flower, and watched a magic show all in Chinese! I tried fish balls for the first time... it was very squishy and fishy, not my favorite, but I was happy to finally give it a try after making fun of its name, "Fish BALLS." I felt like a kid running around with my friends, going to different sites and waiting impatiently in the queues. Origami flower-making was quite a show. I am terrible at arts and crafts, so I had a few times where the girl had to take my flower away and fix it up, hahaha, same with Campbell, so I was not alone! Lantern-making was a lot of fun too, we each got cups with handles and hand-painted them. I wrote my middle name, Haesun, in Korean, I thought it was appropriate since I was at an Asian festival. My cups ended up in flames though, because after watching Ed play with hot wax and relighting his candle, I thought I would give it a try...oops, my B. After that, we watched a magic show in Chinese, it was very fascinating to watch. Even though it was Chinese, we knew exactly what was going on, interesting how language works, hmm? It was nice to do something sober and cultural, instead of being on the Bridge and drinking away our sorrows from school (lol).
After stealing many lanterns and random things off the ground from the festival, Campbell, Leo and I headed to the hawker centre behind NTU. We were walking aimlessly in circles and loops, not knowing where we were going. Apparently, Jurong Point is known as the "ghetto" in Singapore, but really Singapore does not know ghetto, unless they have visited good ol' Baltimore haha. We finally made it to the 24 hour hawker centre, where I ordered teriyaki chicken with chips (fries) and a salad. The chicken was soo good, nice and juicy full with flavors. The boys got Singapore's famous, Chili crab with rice, a veggie dish, and cute balls of bread. We ended up staying there for 4 hours, just relaxing, chatting, and getting to know each other more on a personal level. It was a very nice night. Campbell and Leo are such genuinely nice people. They have great stories to share and are nice company. With our stomaches happy and satisfied, we walked back to NTU and slipped into our beds.
After sleeping for hours and hours, I woke up to a rainy Saturday. Katie, Kirsty, and I headed to Jurong Point mall at Boon Lay and had lunch at, "New York New York," their tagline, "It's all American, baby!"....except it was not American, more like fake-American. I ordered pizza, it was like the pizza you eat in elementary school cafeterias. But for Singapore, I'll give them some credit, hahaha. We walked around after lunch and eventually headed back. I did some work here and there, and then went to Katie's room to watch "Ratatouille" with Kirsty. At around 8pm, we had dinner with Andrew, Bobby, and Justin at canteen 2, then it was off to Staff Club for Bobby's party, night two. It was some-what chill, nothing too crazy. Katie and I played some pool...which I am awful at! Funny story, so Katie got us two pints of Tiger...but the barman ran out of pint glasses, so he gave us half-pint glasses, I was upset 'cause we paid money for a full pint, so I went to the toilets, washed the half-pint glass and stole the cup! TAKE THAT! muhahaha. I enjoy drinking at the Staff Club and hanging out with friends...it's like a high school reunion, because other groups of Exchange students go there, and we all end up getting to know each other again and just being typical college kids, ranting about school work, what we are going to do on the weekends, and etc.
On Sunday, we were going to visit Kusu Island, where the turtle sanctuary is located. Don't rely on Wikipedia, they give you false information! We ended up at the wrong ferry. No big deal, we headed off to Sentosa Island. We had lunch at "Cafe del Mar," where we had acceptable western food. I had a wrap with chicken and lettuce with fries...it was not bad at all! It was much better than what the canteens on campus make. In hopes of getting tan, we walked around in the boiling heat and sun, trying to find Fort Siloso. By the way, there were peacocks and monkeys casually running around the place...NBD!
Fort Siloso, Sentosa was the coastal artillery fort in Singapore during war. We learned a lot about the military bases and the battles Singapore was involved with. Trying to focus and concentrate on what was going around, my eyes started to water and my nose was itchy, to the point, where I was blowing my nose every ten seconds. I tried to ignore it, until I felt a bit dizzy from the heat, and couldn't breathe normally. I tried to brush it off, stealing as many napkins around Sentosa. We got to Vivo City to head back to NTU, where I could not take it anymore, so I ran over to Watson's to grab some medication. Nothing seemed to work as I was closing my eyes and holding my nose from the itchy pain on the mrt. We had dinner at Pioneer Station hawker centre and had delicious Indian food, but I could not appreciate the flavors, as I had to excuse myself to purchase more tissues and to get a breath of air. I was starting to worry so we went back to NTU.
I could not get myself to breathe normally without sneezing and wiping my nose every few seconds. I was skyping Libbie and afterwards Allie, and could not think right with my eyes swollen and dry, I could not hold a conversation without putting my head down....right there, I knew something was not right. I texted Jing Ying and Luo Er (my Singaporean friends) and asked them where the closest hospital or clinics were. Jing Ying offered to drive me over to the 24 hour clinic in Clementi. The doctor told me I have severe allergies due to the burning of trees in Indonesia. The debris and smoke blow into Singapore, hence why it was foggy and gray, and has affected me badly. He advised me to stay indoors and gave me two types of medication. It's like allergies on steroids...
Today, which is Monday, I slept in til about noon and tried to get back on my feet. I had lunch with Fiona in canteen 13 where Andrew, Bobby, and Justin ran into us. Canteen 13's doors are always open with the wind blowing in and out. I could barely enjoy my meal, without my eyes and nose irritating me.. I could not even last 30 minutes outside, I had to go back to my room. So, now here I am on my bed, I feel like a prisoner, not allowed out of my room, unless I want to practically die. I hope the two medications kick in soon. Here we go again, being sick.... really stinks. Australia is only 12 days away.... counting down until I can cuddle with a kangaroo and hear, "Crikey, Mate!" haha. Until next time, Much love from the Chatty Chong!
More vocab coming your way.........
pudding = dessert
Monday 5 September 2011
Staff Club Gone Wild
What an epic weekend.... what started out to be a sober and educational night turned out to be a wild [Saturday] night that I will never forget... do I even remember it to begin with? oops...?
On Friday night, we all decided to go to the National Museum of Singapore. It was free admission, plus it would be good for my cultural immersion project! It was a little boring to me but overall, it was interesting to see how Singapore has "grown." I made a box of hopes and dreams, and being a retarded Communications major, my box looked like I had made it in the dark. The kids around did better than me! We went on a self-guided tour. Headphones and a controller box of some sort was given to each person. You basically choose what you want to listen to. It was interesting. Of course, not even 15 minutes into it, I got bored. I think museums are better during the day, I would probably be more awake and actually interested, than at night, when I am thinking of Clarke Quay and Tiger haha.
After the museum, it was off to Clarke Quay bridge. As tradition, we went to 711 and bought some beers, mingled, and met new friends! yay I love people! And, of course, I was sweating buckets because it's always hot in Singapore, no matter what time it is, you are going to sweat 24-7; I have accepted it, but it would be nice to actually look decent when I go out, instead of having the shiniest and stickiest face in the crowd. Katie and I got hungry, so we decided to go on a voyage for something greasy and yummy. We ended up at Verve Pizzeria. Okay, so the man gave us our pepperoni slices and asked for $8, so we gave him $10. He was like "No, one slice is $8." UMMM hold the phone, $8 for one pizza slice? Damnnn and I thought Loyola was expensive! =) Anyways, it was the best pizza I have had in Singapore, so I was a happy girl! I love to just sit, eat, and bond with people... the simple things in life really make your night.
Okay, so now off to "staff club gone wild".... Before that event, Katie, Kirsty, Justin, and I went shopping... ohhh how much I love to shop! It was soo good to be back on Orchard Road and be a girl and SHOP! The first H&M opened in Singapore and the lines were ridiculously long, wrapped around the store and down the street, this was some serious shit! We decided to skip that and go another time, and hit up Forever 21... I LOVE FOREVER 21!!!! I was going wild and picked up anything that was colorful and pretty! I ended up buying two new dresses, a top, and gold flower sandals, AND got a discount for having a Student's Pass! SCORE! Justin was such a trooper, sticking with us girls, cause boys hate shopping, am I right? He ended up buying himself some nice things too, so it was a WIN-WIN situation! Hooray for spending money! haha. After our lovely day of shopping, we went to the Pioneer hawker centre and ate dinner. I had pork dumpling noodle from the Chicken Rice stand...super yummy! I believe I paid $2.50 for my meal...so $2.06 US? Not too shabby!
Off to the night...so we rushed home, I put my new dress and sandals on, and we pregamed a bit in my room. Katie drank her 6% alcohol content "cooking" wine, as I drank my 15(?)% alcohol content Yellowtail wine..... mmm I love wine, such a cozy and warm feeling, but not when you chug it. Do not chug wine, kids! We walked over to Lizzi's party on the rooftop. We were greeted by old friends and new friends. I really love the friends I have made here. They are all soo nice, welcoming, and sweet! I feel "at home" and comfortable with them. I can be me without any worries! Anyways, we drank and had a great time, UNTIL the security guard ruined the party and told us we had to leave because we were loud, but ummm it was 11pm on a SATURDAY night? Hmmm.......
We took the party to the roof of the Arts and Media Building (green glass building), which actually was awesome, except the boys chose the steepest hill that had no stairs... cool. Oh and I'm afraid of heights and falling, so climbing up that hill drunk was boat loads of fun! Anyways, we all sat and lounged on the grass and continued to drink. I was out of wine, so Katie gave me a healthy mug of vodka. After drinking, chatting, laughing, and being stupid-drunk, we took the party to Staff Club, which was about to be in "lock-down"?, meaning they were going to lock it, so no one else can get in.
This was not a typical staff club night, usually it's verrrrry chill, but that night, it was like walking into Zouk or Forbidden City (so, basically, in simple terms.. WILD). Music was bumpin, people were dancing, and drinking. The bartender, Jong, remembered me, so of course being best friends, I got free drinks! I made my own drinks behind the bar too! SOO COOL! I want to be a bartender! hahaha, mom and dad if you're reading this, don't freak out, I'm not actually going to be a bartender.... I won't get into details cause there might be some judgment thrown here and there, but to put it in the simplest terms... there was dancing on table tops, free drinks, dancing, loud music, tons of pictures, laughs... just great times! Probably, the best staff club night ever... so epic! OOOH met Korean people! Woohoo, represent! except I can't speak it very well...oops... everybody was so drunk (wasted) and happy though, so I call that success!
On another note, the phrase, "it's a small world after all" is SOO true! So in my PR writing group, there's this girl, Jolene. Her boyfriend goes to school in Pennsylvania. She visited Ocean City...in MARYLAND! I have been going to Ocean City since I was a wittle Asian baby! She is sooo nice too! Another girl in my IMC class, Jing, is studying abroad/exchange at LOYOLA in this upcoming SPRING semester...and lives in the same hall and floor as Lizzi....... the world gets smaller and smaller! How crazy is that?!?! Who would ever think Maryland and Singapore would have a connection?!?
Also, I would just like to say how NICE it is to have OUTDOOR POOLS on campus. I love swimming and catching up with Lizzi. The pool right by our halls is so quiet and peaceful. After a long day of lectures, tutorials, and sweating, it's just nice to jump in a nice cool pool. Sometimes, I have to shake the water off my face and tell myself how fortunate my life is, to be in such a beautiful place. I really love it here, I really do.
After swimming, Lizzi went back to labs, and I headed off to Jurong Point with Fiona. We grabbed some dinner, and were greeted by Katie who met up with us later. Poor girl... her camera broke after a dreadful rainfall in Malaysia.... It's so nice eating off campus, for a change and just chilling out with the girls! We went to a shop, where I bought granola and toiletries. Afterwards, we went to Lizzi's room with Kirsty and ate eggs.. yes, scrambled eggs with... toast with butter! It was amazing! After a month of endless amounts of rice, noodles, and chicken, we had a little snack of REAL western food! My mouth was in bliss! Ahhhh, I love the friends I have made =) Good food and good company, what more could you want?
Some new added vocab to the list......
trainers = sneakers
postal code = zip code
kopi-o = coffee with sugar/milk
.... I'm becoming soo European/Singaporean =) Ahhh, I love my life! (So funny exactly a month ago, I was the total opposite, I was so homesick and wanted to come home....)
Can't wait to see what life brings me next, until then, Much love from the Chatty Chong!
On Friday night, we all decided to go to the National Museum of Singapore. It was free admission, plus it would be good for my cultural immersion project! It was a little boring to me but overall, it was interesting to see how Singapore has "grown." I made a box of hopes and dreams, and being a retarded Communications major, my box looked like I had made it in the dark. The kids around did better than me! We went on a self-guided tour. Headphones and a controller box of some sort was given to each person. You basically choose what you want to listen to. It was interesting. Of course, not even 15 minutes into it, I got bored. I think museums are better during the day, I would probably be more awake and actually interested, than at night, when I am thinking of Clarke Quay and Tiger haha.
After the museum, it was off to Clarke Quay bridge. As tradition, we went to 711 and bought some beers, mingled, and met new friends! yay I love people! And, of course, I was sweating buckets because it's always hot in Singapore, no matter what time it is, you are going to sweat 24-7; I have accepted it, but it would be nice to actually look decent when I go out, instead of having the shiniest and stickiest face in the crowd. Katie and I got hungry, so we decided to go on a voyage for something greasy and yummy. We ended up at Verve Pizzeria. Okay, so the man gave us our pepperoni slices and asked for $8, so we gave him $10. He was like "No, one slice is $8." UMMM hold the phone, $8 for one pizza slice? Damnnn and I thought Loyola was expensive! =) Anyways, it was the best pizza I have had in Singapore, so I was a happy girl! I love to just sit, eat, and bond with people... the simple things in life really make your night.
Okay, so now off to "staff club gone wild".... Before that event, Katie, Kirsty, Justin, and I went shopping... ohhh how much I love to shop! It was soo good to be back on Orchard Road and be a girl and SHOP! The first H&M opened in Singapore and the lines were ridiculously long, wrapped around the store and down the street, this was some serious shit! We decided to skip that and go another time, and hit up Forever 21... I LOVE FOREVER 21!!!! I was going wild and picked up anything that was colorful and pretty! I ended up buying two new dresses, a top, and gold flower sandals, AND got a discount for having a Student's Pass! SCORE! Justin was such a trooper, sticking with us girls, cause boys hate shopping, am I right? He ended up buying himself some nice things too, so it was a WIN-WIN situation! Hooray for spending money! haha. After our lovely day of shopping, we went to the Pioneer hawker centre and ate dinner. I had pork dumpling noodle from the Chicken Rice stand...super yummy! I believe I paid $2.50 for my meal...so $2.06 US? Not too shabby!
Off to the night...so we rushed home, I put my new dress and sandals on, and we pregamed a bit in my room. Katie drank her 6% alcohol content "cooking" wine, as I drank my 15(?)% alcohol content Yellowtail wine..... mmm I love wine, such a cozy and warm feeling, but not when you chug it. Do not chug wine, kids! We walked over to Lizzi's party on the rooftop. We were greeted by old friends and new friends. I really love the friends I have made here. They are all soo nice, welcoming, and sweet! I feel "at home" and comfortable with them. I can be me without any worries! Anyways, we drank and had a great time, UNTIL the security guard ruined the party and told us we had to leave because we were loud, but ummm it was 11pm on a SATURDAY night? Hmmm.......
We took the party to the roof of the Arts and Media Building (green glass building), which actually was awesome, except the boys chose the steepest hill that had no stairs... cool. Oh and I'm afraid of heights and falling, so climbing up that hill drunk was boat loads of fun! Anyways, we all sat and lounged on the grass and continued to drink. I was out of wine, so Katie gave me a healthy mug of vodka. After drinking, chatting, laughing, and being stupid-drunk, we took the party to Staff Club, which was about to be in "lock-down"?, meaning they were going to lock it, so no one else can get in.
This was not a typical staff club night, usually it's verrrrry chill, but that night, it was like walking into Zouk or Forbidden City (so, basically, in simple terms.. WILD). Music was bumpin, people were dancing, and drinking. The bartender, Jong, remembered me, so of course being best friends, I got free drinks! I made my own drinks behind the bar too! SOO COOL! I want to be a bartender! hahaha, mom and dad if you're reading this, don't freak out, I'm not actually going to be a bartender.... I won't get into details cause there might be some judgment thrown here and there, but to put it in the simplest terms... there was dancing on table tops, free drinks, dancing, loud music, tons of pictures, laughs... just great times! Probably, the best staff club night ever... so epic! OOOH met Korean people! Woohoo, represent! except I can't speak it very well...oops... everybody was so drunk (wasted) and happy though, so I call that success!
On another note, the phrase, "it's a small world after all" is SOO true! So in my PR writing group, there's this girl, Jolene. Her boyfriend goes to school in Pennsylvania. She visited Ocean City...in MARYLAND! I have been going to Ocean City since I was a wittle Asian baby! She is sooo nice too! Another girl in my IMC class, Jing, is studying abroad/exchange at LOYOLA in this upcoming SPRING semester...and lives in the same hall and floor as Lizzi....... the world gets smaller and smaller! How crazy is that?!?! Who would ever think Maryland and Singapore would have a connection?!?
Also, I would just like to say how NICE it is to have OUTDOOR POOLS on campus. I love swimming and catching up with Lizzi. The pool right by our halls is so quiet and peaceful. After a long day of lectures, tutorials, and sweating, it's just nice to jump in a nice cool pool. Sometimes, I have to shake the water off my face and tell myself how fortunate my life is, to be in such a beautiful place. I really love it here, I really do.
After swimming, Lizzi went back to labs, and I headed off to Jurong Point with Fiona. We grabbed some dinner, and were greeted by Katie who met up with us later. Poor girl... her camera broke after a dreadful rainfall in Malaysia.... It's so nice eating off campus, for a change and just chilling out with the girls! We went to a shop, where I bought granola and toiletries. Afterwards, we went to Lizzi's room with Kirsty and ate eggs.. yes, scrambled eggs with... toast with butter! It was amazing! After a month of endless amounts of rice, noodles, and chicken, we had a little snack of REAL western food! My mouth was in bliss! Ahhhh, I love the friends I have made =) Good food and good company, what more could you want?
Some new added vocab to the list......
trainers = sneakers
postal code = zip code
kopi-o = coffee with sugar/milk
.... I'm becoming soo European/Singaporean =) Ahhh, I love my life! (So funny exactly a month ago, I was the total opposite, I was so homesick and wanted to come home....)
Can't wait to see what life brings me next, until then, Much love from the Chatty Chong!
Wednesday 31 August 2011
Man I feel like a Woman!
Wednesday is not only hump day, but also LADIES NIGHT! Singapore bars and clubs serve women free drinks with no cover charge at the door....damn straight, Women Power! One reason to love being a lady! (besides the terrifying stages of pregnancy, menopause, mood swings, period cramps...the list goes on!)
For dinner, we went into Chinatown and ate Austrian sausages! Funny, right? These sausages were fabulous though! Dominik knew of a place called, "Erich's Wuerstelstand" in the heart of Chinatown. I ordered the Kaiserkrainer (sausage with cheese in it) and a soft pretzel... sooo good! Fiona and I ended up buying another sausage, Frankfurt because the sausages were that damn good. The meal was pricer than the typical S$2.50, but it was totally worth it! After enjoying my Austrian meal, it was off to Clarke Quay bridge!
We went to "Cheers" (another version of 711) and bought beers to indulge on the bridge. There were beautiful lanterns and lit blown-up creatures and ships, I'm not too sure what the occassion was, but it was very nice to see. On the bridge, it was just me, Lizzi, Fiona, Dominik, Alex, Campbell, and two German girls Fiona is friends with. We just chilled out and enjoyed cold beer in the humid, thick air. I was pretty attractive with the amount of sweat running down my face and neck....mmmm mmm sexy! After literally swimming in my own sweat, it was about time to head off to Arena (me, Fiona, and Lizzi).
What we thought was going to be a "chill" night, turned out to be a "wild" and successful night! There was a live band singing the most recent pop music, which was really good! We took full advantage of the free drinks, going back in the queue (line) once our glasses were clinking with ice in them. Although it was just us 3, it was still a lot of fun and just cozy. We met up with Annemette and Andy at the fountain, which is in the middle of Clarke Quay. They are an adorable couple! Such nice people, big smiles and sweet personalities! They joined us at Arena; we sat at a table, chatted and chilled out. After a couple of hours, they left to go to bed... I should have done the same thing, but what the hell! I really need to catch up with my ZZZZ's.
Fiona, Lizzi, and I refilled our drinks over and over... hey it was free! don't judge! We danced all night and even on the stage...which was only for ladies! I saw a boy trying to get up there, and the security guy pushed him right down. Poor guy.... Man it feels good to be a woman! We ended up meeting some guys who gave us their drinks, so basically we bought $0.00 for drinks! SCORE! As I mentioned, although it was just the 3 of us, we had a blast! The song, "Nobody Nobdy But You" came on...from then on, I knew it was going to be a great night. That song cannot get away from me!
Scoot over Fridays, Wednesdays may be my new favorite day! [FREE BOOZE]
I am now on Week 4 (out of 13) of classes... I cannot believe how fast this month went by. I feel like I have been here much longer. I have made great friends and memories. I cannot wait to see what comes in the next weekends and months. Recess week comes up at the end of September, and off to Melbourne, Australia I go! ................One downfall: the work is starting to build up along with group work assignments. I hope I can balance out both, without getting academically or socially hurt/screwed!
This weekend, we have plans ahead of us and I SOO look forward to tomorrow afternoon which is FRIDAY! Until next post, Much love from the Chatty Chong! xoxo
For dinner, we went into Chinatown and ate Austrian sausages! Funny, right? These sausages were fabulous though! Dominik knew of a place called, "Erich's Wuerstelstand" in the heart of Chinatown. I ordered the Kaiserkrainer (sausage with cheese in it) and a soft pretzel... sooo good! Fiona and I ended up buying another sausage, Frankfurt because the sausages were that damn good. The meal was pricer than the typical S$2.50, but it was totally worth it! After enjoying my Austrian meal, it was off to Clarke Quay bridge!
We went to "Cheers" (another version of 711) and bought beers to indulge on the bridge. There were beautiful lanterns and lit blown-up creatures and ships, I'm not too sure what the occassion was, but it was very nice to see. On the bridge, it was just me, Lizzi, Fiona, Dominik, Alex, Campbell, and two German girls Fiona is friends with. We just chilled out and enjoyed cold beer in the humid, thick air. I was pretty attractive with the amount of sweat running down my face and neck....mmmm mmm sexy! After literally swimming in my own sweat, it was about time to head off to Arena (me, Fiona, and Lizzi).
What we thought was going to be a "chill" night, turned out to be a "wild" and successful night! There was a live band singing the most recent pop music, which was really good! We took full advantage of the free drinks, going back in the queue (line) once our glasses were clinking with ice in them. Although it was just us 3, it was still a lot of fun and just cozy. We met up with Annemette and Andy at the fountain, which is in the middle of Clarke Quay. They are an adorable couple! Such nice people, big smiles and sweet personalities! They joined us at Arena; we sat at a table, chatted and chilled out. After a couple of hours, they left to go to bed... I should have done the same thing, but what the hell! I really need to catch up with my ZZZZ's.
Fiona, Lizzi, and I refilled our drinks over and over... hey it was free! don't judge! We danced all night and even on the stage...which was only for ladies! I saw a boy trying to get up there, and the security guy pushed him right down. Poor guy.... Man it feels good to be a woman! We ended up meeting some guys who gave us their drinks, so basically we bought $0.00 for drinks! SCORE! As I mentioned, although it was just the 3 of us, we had a blast! The song, "Nobody Nobdy But You" came on...from then on, I knew it was going to be a great night. That song cannot get away from me!
Scoot over Fridays, Wednesdays may be my new favorite day! [FREE BOOZE]
I am now on Week 4 (out of 13) of classes... I cannot believe how fast this month went by. I feel like I have been here much longer. I have made great friends and memories. I cannot wait to see what comes in the next weekends and months. Recess week comes up at the end of September, and off to Melbourne, Australia I go! ................One downfall: the work is starting to build up along with group work assignments. I hope I can balance out both, without getting academically or socially hurt/screwed!
This weekend, we have plans ahead of us and I SOO look forward to tomorrow afternoon which is FRIDAY! Until next post, Much love from the Chatty Chong! xoxo
Tuesday 30 August 2011
I want nobody nobody but you!
...."I want nobody nobody but you" might be my new favorite song by The Wonder Girls (korean pop female music group)... sorry Lady Gaga, but I'm in Asia....gotta like and respect their music more, catch my drift?
WARNING: this blog post is gonna be a long one....too many memories were made with such great friends and great activites... so brace yourselves!
WHAT A WEEKEND! We went to Sentosa Island and stayed at Siloso Beach Resort....the most beautiful place on Singapore! It was just so nice to be away from the dorm-life and into well... luxury, well my version of it... a comfy bed, a nice view of the beach, a sick-ass pool, and great friends...that to me is a great and luxurious vacation getaway!
After the lovely hour and a half travel (bus, mrt, and tram) and lots of Bounce (stupid game on my phone), we finally made it to Siloso Beach Resort. It is an eco-friendly hotel...and breathtaking. The pool was hugggge! There was a waterfall and two slides (for children, but of course, I went on it). The structure of the hotel was so unique, I was taken back. First thing we did was check-in and throw our bags in the rooms, and out the door we went to Underwater World.
Before we ventured to Underwater World, we grabbed lunch at HotDog King, I believe that what it was called. Singapore does not have "ballpark hotdogs," but "chicken hotdogs," I will never eat one again. It did not taste so great, and by the way, there were peacocks just chillin out right next to me as I was eating. First of all, I LOATHE birds, so of course, as I was eating, I was freaking out 'cause these peacocks looked like they wanted to eat me. I chucked my hotdog bun and fries in another direction and bolted. Underwater World was not what I expected; it was very small and bland. The only two things I enjoyed about it was the tunnel and fish-touch tank. I touched fish, star fish, and these fish that looked like baby sharks. They were slimy! The tunnel was really cool, it was literally a tunnel, with fish and sharks swimming on top of you and next to you. Baltimore Aquarium definitely kicks Underwater World's ass in the water... haha, get it? (small joke...). After that, we decided to give ourselves a pat on the back and relax at the Fish Spa...yes, FISH Spa.
Fish Reflexology is a "nibbling" foot massage....basically, fish nibbling at your dead skin and eating it up. Our dead skin is their source of food. When I saw fish relexology the first time, it was at Night Safari.. I thought okay I have to do this! The fish were so small and cute... UMMM TOTAL OPPOSITE at Underwater World... these fish were massive, probably the size of 2 betta fish. We stuck our feet in the water, and they swam right up to my feet and started to nibble and eat. At first, I could not stop laughing and screaming. It was so tickly! After a few minutes, it started to feel good. It was the most weird thing I have ever done in my life, but it was so worth it, cause afterwards, I got a nice back and head massage... and oh hot damn, it felt good...something I REALLY needed!
Afterwards, we bought a "noon day pass" where you pay a reasonable amount of money to do 4 activities on the island, such as the Tiger Tower, Luge ride, 4-D rides, Skyline, Segway Tour, etc. We chose to do the following: Skyline Luge, Extreme Log Ride (4-D), Pirates (4-D film), and Desperados (4-D, cowboy-shooting type of thing). After the long day of rides and fun times, we met up with our other friends (Robbie, Alex, Meg, Lizzi, Dominik, and Fiona) at Bora Bora Margarita Bar. I ordered 2 mojitos (strawberry and apple)...sooo refreshing and yummmy! Before those shenanigans, we watched "Songs of the Sea," a laser and water show, the effects were spectacular, but the music was a mix of Barney and Dora the Explorer, and I wanted to kill someone haha, but overall it was a really nice show. We ate dinner at a place called, "Tastes of Asia" and I ordered something Vietnamese, Beef Pho, which was a soup-noodle dish with beef brisket and it was verryy good, one thing that ticked me off was that there was no section for Korea....why you gotta be like that Tastes of Asia? don't discriminate and hate. shoot yo. Anyways, back to Bora Bora, we pregamed there for Azzura....oh Azzura... I'll get to that in a second.....
After Bora Bora, we all went up to our rooms, my room was the girls room, the other was the boys...we were all getting cute and ready, but before we did, us girls went to the pool. Lizzi and I hopped into the freezing water, and I of course a little tipsy, went down the slide...up and down...up and down.. woops? Anyways, as we were getting ready and pregaming (part 2), we were watching Hairspray...and oh how it reminded me of Baltimore, my home. I intensely watched it even with the background noise of, "hey take this shot of gin!" or chatter. After everyone was pretty buzzed, we headed off to Azzura, a beach club. Fiona, Lizzi, and I made a pit-stop to McDonalds, where I ate a McSpicy.. it was McDelicious (small joke again). Oh and at 711, I bought two ciders and the man CARDED me... I thought I was in Singapore Sir. Ouch. Us girls went to the beach and got stupid-drunk. You had to pay $30 cover charge to get into Azzura, and no way in hell we were gonna pay that! (By the way this was Justin's birthday weekend, so shout-out to you mahhh man Justin!) Lizzi sweet-talked the security and we were close to getting in, but then got impatient, so we jumped over the fence....yes I, Shannon Chong jumped over a fence to get into a beach club.. I felt so B.A. (for those of you who don't know what that means, Bad-Ass) and rebellious.. I was "bad to the bone." Anyways, we got caught but somehow did not get in trouble and the manager let us in for $30 for the 3 of us combined, we took it and proceeded into the club. There was a pool at Azzura, as Lizzi said, she felt like she was in an "Usher music video," it was so much fun, except, something had died....my phone. Never in a million years would I be the one to be careless and break my phone, it's never happened, but I guess my phone wanted to go for a swim. The phone was dead, but I did not care. Azzura was hoppin' and I had a blast.
The next day was a rough morning... it was off to Universal Studios Singapore....hungover! Justin, the birthday boy and champ went at 9am by himself, since all of us were too hungover and met up with him around 11am? It was TEAM USA and Lizzi who went to Universal, oh and did I mention it was the hottest and most humid day EVER? Sweat dripping nonstop...so gross. I rode rollercoasters, which is so unlike me. The mummy ride was the scariest thing I have ever done, I wish everyone could have seen my face on the picture screen, it was as if I saw the most scary horror film out there, and I don't do horror movies or roller coasters.. I don't know what got into me, but I felt really adventurous that day. For lunch, we went to Chili's....HORRIBLE service but the food reminded me so much of home...it was great! The Shrek portion of Universal was amazing.. I literally felt like I was walking the streets of "Far Far Away," I think I enjoyed it more than the kids around me. Overall, I was really impressed with Universal Studios Singapore, especially after our last ride on the Madagascar Beach Carousel ride, haha. Of course, we were the loudest people on the ride (at that point we were so exhausted, sticky, and delirious!).
When we got back to the hotel, we all jumped into the pool and were joined by Robbie, Meg, and Fiona. We went out to dinner for Justin's birthday at Raffles City at a little pizza place called, "The Pizza Place" (real original hahaha). I ordered the Chicken Alfredo Linguini and literally it was a PARTY in my mouth... so damn good to have Italian food rather than your typical "chicken rice." Then we went to the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel where the Singapore Sling was originally created. Although it was mighty expensive, the atmosphere (live band) and great friends made up for it. I felt so relaxed and at ease with my Singapore Sling in one hand and peanuts in the other, and enjoying the old, cheesy live band music.
The next day was our last day at Sentosa, (oh how reality stinks, when vacation is over), we grabbed breakfast at the hotel and discussed our plans. By the way, that weekend I had real eggs and was in Egg-Heaven. It was kind of a rainy, gray day, so we decided to do something indoors and (hopefully) cheap. We visited the Sentosa Merlion. We watched a cute film on the Merlion, apparently, a king and his homies took a boat out to an empty island, and were approached by this lion. The king and the lion became BFF, and to be creative, he decided to give the lion the body of a mermaid, thus the Merlion was born! Hooray! We went up to the Merlion head and took pictures of the beautiful view. We could see Universal in one direction, and the other, the beaches. We took some corny photos by a photographer, and purchased them, because they were just too funny (up on Facebook). It was like "awkward family photos" but worse, haha. After our Merlion visit, we hopped on the mrt and back to NTU we went, but before we grabbed lunch at Vivo City. I had Indian food for the first time in Singapore, and oh my gosh, it was divine! The boys had to meet up with their group for class, so I decided to go to Boon Lay and purchase a new phone (oops..). The guy at the desk laughed at my phone, as he showed his co-workers the water sloshing around in my screen. I bought a new phone and BAMMMM I was texting like nobody's business!
I returned to my room and passed the frick out. I bought food from Golden Spoon (I call it my canteen because Hall 12 does not have one) and watched 2 episodes of Pretty Little Liars, and felt pretty damn content. May I just add, Pretty Little Liars is getting SO good! A is so evil! Hanna's soon to be stepsister is just as bad as A. WHO IS A? Oh and Mr. Fitz, Ezra, you're really hot.
After my lovely vacation, I decided to crack down today and do work. I did some here and there, and did my laundry. Go me! I grabbed lunch with my roomie, Joanna (every Tuesday we get lunch together) at Golden Spoon. I ordered my favorite: Chicken Oyster Sauce noodles....sooo good! It's only $2.50 Sing. dollars, so about... US $2.07? I may have done that math wrong, hence why I'm a Comm. major. So cheap and big portion too! I was soo happy!
I had dinner with Ms. Wendy (family friend...my Aunt's best friend from college, cute I know!) and her family tonight at a Seafood restaurant on Orchard Road. It was DELICIOUS. We ate crab fried rice, fried eggplant, coffee spare ribs, the famous Singapore "Pepper Crab," and a veggie dish. The coffee spare ribs were actually my favorite, next to the Pepper Crab. The crab was so good, it was definitely spicy but with a sweet side. After dinner, we grabbed Haagen Dazs icecream and chilled out after our big Seafood feast. Ms. Wendy and her family are soo sweet. I feel so comfortable and "homey" when I am with them. I cannot wait to see them again!
And, now I am here, almost ready to pass out at my laptop, with my poor fingers still typing this novel of a post, haha, but I do it because I want all of you to know that I am enjoying myself in Singapore and ALIVE! Call me corny, but I am truly blessed to have made the friends I am with at NTU. They are all so nice, warm/welcoming, and make me feel comfortable and can finally say that I love Singapore. On another note, I do miss my Loyola peeps especially now that fall o has officially started, so Evergreens if you are reading this, I miss you a lot! Sam Garvey is an amazing fall o EPC and I know you all are going to have the time of your lives! And, abroaders if you're reading this, enjoy international life! I'll see you in the spring soon enough! Back to classes tomorrow (Wed), but then Fri is only 2 days away, thank sweet Buddha, until news about this upcoming weekend, Much love from the Chatty Chong! xoxo
New vocab........
flat = apartment
close = hallway
bangers & mash = sasuages and mashed potatoes
oh and LOVE Singlish (singapore-English) accent... I'm starting to speak like a local and tag on "lah" at the end of my sentences...hahaha!
WARNING: this blog post is gonna be a long one....too many memories were made with such great friends and great activites... so brace yourselves!
WHAT A WEEKEND! We went to Sentosa Island and stayed at Siloso Beach Resort....the most beautiful place on Singapore! It was just so nice to be away from the dorm-life and into well... luxury, well my version of it... a comfy bed, a nice view of the beach, a sick-ass pool, and great friends...that to me is a great and luxurious vacation getaway!
After the lovely hour and a half travel (bus, mrt, and tram) and lots of Bounce (stupid game on my phone), we finally made it to Siloso Beach Resort. It is an eco-friendly hotel...and breathtaking. The pool was hugggge! There was a waterfall and two slides (for children, but of course, I went on it). The structure of the hotel was so unique, I was taken back. First thing we did was check-in and throw our bags in the rooms, and out the door we went to Underwater World.
Before we ventured to Underwater World, we grabbed lunch at HotDog King, I believe that what it was called. Singapore does not have "ballpark hotdogs," but "chicken hotdogs," I will never eat one again. It did not taste so great, and by the way, there were peacocks just chillin out right next to me as I was eating. First of all, I LOATHE birds, so of course, as I was eating, I was freaking out 'cause these peacocks looked like they wanted to eat me. I chucked my hotdog bun and fries in another direction and bolted. Underwater World was not what I expected; it was very small and bland. The only two things I enjoyed about it was the tunnel and fish-touch tank. I touched fish, star fish, and these fish that looked like baby sharks. They were slimy! The tunnel was really cool, it was literally a tunnel, with fish and sharks swimming on top of you and next to you. Baltimore Aquarium definitely kicks Underwater World's ass in the water... haha, get it? (small joke...). After that, we decided to give ourselves a pat on the back and relax at the Fish Spa...yes, FISH Spa.
Fish Reflexology is a "nibbling" foot massage....basically, fish nibbling at your dead skin and eating it up. Our dead skin is their source of food. When I saw fish relexology the first time, it was at Night Safari.. I thought okay I have to do this! The fish were so small and cute... UMMM TOTAL OPPOSITE at Underwater World... these fish were massive, probably the size of 2 betta fish. We stuck our feet in the water, and they swam right up to my feet and started to nibble and eat. At first, I could not stop laughing and screaming. It was so tickly! After a few minutes, it started to feel good. It was the most weird thing I have ever done in my life, but it was so worth it, cause afterwards, I got a nice back and head massage... and oh hot damn, it felt good...something I REALLY needed!
Afterwards, we bought a "noon day pass" where you pay a reasonable amount of money to do 4 activities on the island, such as the Tiger Tower, Luge ride, 4-D rides, Skyline, Segway Tour, etc. We chose to do the following: Skyline Luge, Extreme Log Ride (4-D), Pirates (4-D film), and Desperados (4-D, cowboy-shooting type of thing). After the long day of rides and fun times, we met up with our other friends (Robbie, Alex, Meg, Lizzi, Dominik, and Fiona) at Bora Bora Margarita Bar. I ordered 2 mojitos (strawberry and apple)...sooo refreshing and yummmy! Before those shenanigans, we watched "Songs of the Sea," a laser and water show, the effects were spectacular, but the music was a mix of Barney and Dora the Explorer, and I wanted to kill someone haha, but overall it was a really nice show. We ate dinner at a place called, "Tastes of Asia" and I ordered something Vietnamese, Beef Pho, which was a soup-noodle dish with beef brisket and it was verryy good, one thing that ticked me off was that there was no section for Korea....why you gotta be like that Tastes of Asia? don't discriminate and hate. shoot yo. Anyways, back to Bora Bora, we pregamed there for Azzura....oh Azzura... I'll get to that in a second.....
After Bora Bora, we all went up to our rooms, my room was the girls room, the other was the boys...we were all getting cute and ready, but before we did, us girls went to the pool. Lizzi and I hopped into the freezing water, and I of course a little tipsy, went down the slide...up and down...up and down.. woops? Anyways, as we were getting ready and pregaming (part 2), we were watching Hairspray...and oh how it reminded me of Baltimore, my home. I intensely watched it even with the background noise of, "hey take this shot of gin!" or chatter. After everyone was pretty buzzed, we headed off to Azzura, a beach club. Fiona, Lizzi, and I made a pit-stop to McDonalds, where I ate a McSpicy.. it was McDelicious (small joke again). Oh and at 711, I bought two ciders and the man CARDED me... I thought I was in Singapore Sir. Ouch. Us girls went to the beach and got stupid-drunk. You had to pay $30 cover charge to get into Azzura, and no way in hell we were gonna pay that! (By the way this was Justin's birthday weekend, so shout-out to you mahhh man Justin!) Lizzi sweet-talked the security and we were close to getting in, but then got impatient, so we jumped over the fence....yes I, Shannon Chong jumped over a fence to get into a beach club.. I felt so B.A. (for those of you who don't know what that means, Bad-Ass) and rebellious.. I was "bad to the bone." Anyways, we got caught but somehow did not get in trouble and the manager let us in for $30 for the 3 of us combined, we took it and proceeded into the club. There was a pool at Azzura, as Lizzi said, she felt like she was in an "Usher music video," it was so much fun, except, something had died....my phone. Never in a million years would I be the one to be careless and break my phone, it's never happened, but I guess my phone wanted to go for a swim. The phone was dead, but I did not care. Azzura was hoppin' and I had a blast.
The next day was a rough morning... it was off to Universal Studios Singapore....hungover! Justin, the birthday boy and champ went at 9am by himself, since all of us were too hungover and met up with him around 11am? It was TEAM USA and Lizzi who went to Universal, oh and did I mention it was the hottest and most humid day EVER? Sweat dripping nonstop...so gross. I rode rollercoasters, which is so unlike me. The mummy ride was the scariest thing I have ever done, I wish everyone could have seen my face on the picture screen, it was as if I saw the most scary horror film out there, and I don't do horror movies or roller coasters.. I don't know what got into me, but I felt really adventurous that day. For lunch, we went to Chili's....HORRIBLE service but the food reminded me so much of home...it was great! The Shrek portion of Universal was amazing.. I literally felt like I was walking the streets of "Far Far Away," I think I enjoyed it more than the kids around me. Overall, I was really impressed with Universal Studios Singapore, especially after our last ride on the Madagascar Beach Carousel ride, haha. Of course, we were the loudest people on the ride (at that point we were so exhausted, sticky, and delirious!).
When we got back to the hotel, we all jumped into the pool and were joined by Robbie, Meg, and Fiona. We went out to dinner for Justin's birthday at Raffles City at a little pizza place called, "The Pizza Place" (real original hahaha). I ordered the Chicken Alfredo Linguini and literally it was a PARTY in my mouth... so damn good to have Italian food rather than your typical "chicken rice." Then we went to the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel where the Singapore Sling was originally created. Although it was mighty expensive, the atmosphere (live band) and great friends made up for it. I felt so relaxed and at ease with my Singapore Sling in one hand and peanuts in the other, and enjoying the old, cheesy live band music.
The next day was our last day at Sentosa, (oh how reality stinks, when vacation is over), we grabbed breakfast at the hotel and discussed our plans. By the way, that weekend I had real eggs and was in Egg-Heaven. It was kind of a rainy, gray day, so we decided to do something indoors and (hopefully) cheap. We visited the Sentosa Merlion. We watched a cute film on the Merlion, apparently, a king and his homies took a boat out to an empty island, and were approached by this lion. The king and the lion became BFF, and to be creative, he decided to give the lion the body of a mermaid, thus the Merlion was born! Hooray! We went up to the Merlion head and took pictures of the beautiful view. We could see Universal in one direction, and the other, the beaches. We took some corny photos by a photographer, and purchased them, because they were just too funny (up on Facebook). It was like "awkward family photos" but worse, haha. After our Merlion visit, we hopped on the mrt and back to NTU we went, but before we grabbed lunch at Vivo City. I had Indian food for the first time in Singapore, and oh my gosh, it was divine! The boys had to meet up with their group for class, so I decided to go to Boon Lay and purchase a new phone (oops..). The guy at the desk laughed at my phone, as he showed his co-workers the water sloshing around in my screen. I bought a new phone and BAMMMM I was texting like nobody's business!
I returned to my room and passed the frick out. I bought food from Golden Spoon (I call it my canteen because Hall 12 does not have one) and watched 2 episodes of Pretty Little Liars, and felt pretty damn content. May I just add, Pretty Little Liars is getting SO good! A is so evil! Hanna's soon to be stepsister is just as bad as A. WHO IS A? Oh and Mr. Fitz, Ezra, you're really hot.
After my lovely vacation, I decided to crack down today and do work. I did some here and there, and did my laundry. Go me! I grabbed lunch with my roomie, Joanna (every Tuesday we get lunch together) at Golden Spoon. I ordered my favorite: Chicken Oyster Sauce noodles....sooo good! It's only $2.50 Sing. dollars, so about... US $2.07? I may have done that math wrong, hence why I'm a Comm. major. So cheap and big portion too! I was soo happy!
I had dinner with Ms. Wendy (family friend...my Aunt's best friend from college, cute I know!) and her family tonight at a Seafood restaurant on Orchard Road. It was DELICIOUS. We ate crab fried rice, fried eggplant, coffee spare ribs, the famous Singapore "Pepper Crab," and a veggie dish. The coffee spare ribs were actually my favorite, next to the Pepper Crab. The crab was so good, it was definitely spicy but with a sweet side. After dinner, we grabbed Haagen Dazs icecream and chilled out after our big Seafood feast. Ms. Wendy and her family are soo sweet. I feel so comfortable and "homey" when I am with them. I cannot wait to see them again!
And, now I am here, almost ready to pass out at my laptop, with my poor fingers still typing this novel of a post, haha, but I do it because I want all of you to know that I am enjoying myself in Singapore and ALIVE! Call me corny, but I am truly blessed to have made the friends I am with at NTU. They are all so nice, warm/welcoming, and make me feel comfortable and can finally say that I love Singapore. On another note, I do miss my Loyola peeps especially now that fall o has officially started, so Evergreens if you are reading this, I miss you a lot! Sam Garvey is an amazing fall o EPC and I know you all are going to have the time of your lives! And, abroaders if you're reading this, enjoy international life! I'll see you in the spring soon enough! Back to classes tomorrow (Wed), but then Fri is only 2 days away, thank sweet Buddha, until news about this upcoming weekend, Much love from the Chatty Chong! xoxo
New vocab........
flat = apartment
close = hallway
bangers & mash = sasuages and mashed potatoes
oh and LOVE Singlish (singapore-English) accent... I'm starting to speak like a local and tag on "lah" at the end of my sentences...hahaha!
Thursday 25 August 2011
At last.
Hello! Hola! Bonjour! Ni hao! (feelin' international right now)
This is gonna be a short post because I am soo tired from the week, but thank God and Buddha it's Friday tomorrow! I felt like this week has been slow, probably 'cause there is a 4 day weekend with my name on it!
Today was Thursday...hmmm I had a tutorial from 11-1 and then lecture from 2-4...not bad, but right after lecture, I attacked 2 tutorial work that are due tomorrow..oops sorry for procrastinating, as Nicky and Danielle would say, "SINS!" (sorry I'm not sorry). Between my two classes, I had lunch with two girls from my advertising class, Susanne and Malin, both from Sweden, and very nice girls! Lots of Swedish people here, I believe around 70? Speaking of Sweden, we went to Ikea last night----SO MUCH FUN! I bought so many snacks! Oops...sorry diet?
I had a very awkward meal today. I got a plate full of rice, tofu, green vegetable (still don't know if it's spinach or some Chinese veggie, but hey it's green and I need the vitamins), beef? and chicken? The beef tasted very... odd and cardboard-like and the chicken was...definitely not chicken, it had a squishy texture almost like boiled organs, so I definitely did not enjoy my lunch (did I just make you feel sick? SINS), but I enjoyed the company from the two girls and the others who joined. I met two girls from Germany, Sophie and Leanna (hopefully I spelled all the names right!) and another girl, Laura. Also, Fiona (from Singapore) joined us as well. All the international students are all soo friendly! We're like one big happy family (who have not met each other, more like long lost family). Everyone is welcoming with warm smiles on their faces. You know, all we have is each other, so everyone opens up their minds and hearts, and instant friendships are formed.
Tonight, I went up on the Digital Media and Arts building with Katie, Lizzi, Fiona, AM, Steph, Katie's labmates Nick and Ed. That is the building with grass on the rooftop (you can take a look in my facebook pictures). There are stairs so you can climb up there. I was definitely a minority, being the only American haha. It's so cool to hear everyone's accents and the way they speak. I find it fascinating haha. It was such a beautiful night with a nice breeze in the air and nice company as well!
At last, I am soo happy to be in Singapore, I felt so content and relaxed without a care in the world. It would not be the same if I had not met the people I am friends with at NTU. The people you choose to hang out with really have an effect on your experience abroad. Although I miss home, Loyola, family, and friends (oh and American food!), I am so lucky and fortunate to be in a vibrant and amazing country as Singapore and sharing it with great people as well. At last I have overcomed the little hump of homesickness!!!!! (we'll see how long this lasts, but I gotta be optimistic!)
To friends/family at home: Please stay safe and dry! I hear Hurricane Irene is making her way and that earthquakes are a fad now? Watch over each other and stay safe. I am thinking of all of you.
Goodnight for now Singapore! Good morning USA? hahaha. Until next time, much love from the Chatty Chong xoxo
This is gonna be a short post because I am soo tired from the week, but thank God and Buddha it's Friday tomorrow! I felt like this week has been slow, probably 'cause there is a 4 day weekend with my name on it!
Today was Thursday...hmmm I had a tutorial from 11-1 and then lecture from 2-4...not bad, but right after lecture, I attacked 2 tutorial work that are due tomorrow..oops sorry for procrastinating, as Nicky and Danielle would say, "SINS!" (sorry I'm not sorry). Between my two classes, I had lunch with two girls from my advertising class, Susanne and Malin, both from Sweden, and very nice girls! Lots of Swedish people here, I believe around 70? Speaking of Sweden, we went to Ikea last night----SO MUCH FUN! I bought so many snacks! Oops...sorry diet?
I had a very awkward meal today. I got a plate full of rice, tofu, green vegetable (still don't know if it's spinach or some Chinese veggie, but hey it's green and I need the vitamins), beef? and chicken? The beef tasted very... odd and cardboard-like and the chicken was...definitely not chicken, it had a squishy texture almost like boiled organs, so I definitely did not enjoy my lunch (did I just make you feel sick? SINS), but I enjoyed the company from the two girls and the others who joined. I met two girls from Germany, Sophie and Leanna (hopefully I spelled all the names right!) and another girl, Laura. Also, Fiona (from Singapore) joined us as well. All the international students are all soo friendly! We're like one big happy family (who have not met each other, more like long lost family). Everyone is welcoming with warm smiles on their faces. You know, all we have is each other, so everyone opens up their minds and hearts, and instant friendships are formed.
Tonight, I went up on the Digital Media and Arts building with Katie, Lizzi, Fiona, AM, Steph, Katie's labmates Nick and Ed. That is the building with grass on the rooftop (you can take a look in my facebook pictures). There are stairs so you can climb up there. I was definitely a minority, being the only American haha. It's so cool to hear everyone's accents and the way they speak. I find it fascinating haha. It was such a beautiful night with a nice breeze in the air and nice company as well!
At last, I am soo happy to be in Singapore, I felt so content and relaxed without a care in the world. It would not be the same if I had not met the people I am friends with at NTU. The people you choose to hang out with really have an effect on your experience abroad. Although I miss home, Loyola, family, and friends (oh and American food!), I am so lucky and fortunate to be in a vibrant and amazing country as Singapore and sharing it with great people as well. At last I have overcomed the little hump of homesickness!!!!! (we'll see how long this lasts, but I gotta be optimistic!)
To friends/family at home: Please stay safe and dry! I hear Hurricane Irene is making her way and that earthquakes are a fad now? Watch over each other and stay safe. I am thinking of all of you.
Goodnight for now Singapore! Good morning USA? hahaha. Until next time, much love from the Chatty Chong xoxo
Tuesday 23 August 2011
Now walk it out
Tuesday is my favorite day.... a) it's not Monday... b) No classes! ...c) Sleep in.... d) Be lazy.....and, e) The next day is Hump Day (halfway through the week and closer to the weekend) .......except I was not lazy today, I was a walking machineeee! ...."look at me now"
Today, I decided to get my act together, so I paid my housing, went to the supermarket, and did laundry... I was pretty productive and did not, I repeat did not use the shuttle bus at all! I know, I know you are proud of me! NTU's campus is SO huge, it is not normal to walk everywhere. I walked and walked and sweated buckets, did I mention how soaked my shirt was? Or, how shiny my face was? My poor poor skin......
Joanna, my roomie and I got lunch today! It was really nice getting to know her. We are making it a every Tuesday lunch kind of thing. We both got Korean food (mama would be proud of me). I got "yuk gae jang" which is a spicy beef stew. It did not taste like mommy's, but I managed. It had weird, random things thrown in the soup, and no, I did not eat it, I stuck with rice and the broth, maybe few noodles here and there. Joanna got BBQ Pork, I believe.... her first time eating Korean food! I was so proud! =)
I went to the supermarket to buy apple juice, bananas, post cards, stamps, and other pointless things. I bought 10 stamps for $5 (Singapore $). The lady handed me the stamps, and I looked at it with a funny face. I was expecting a sticky kind of stamp, like the ones we use in the US, you know, you just peel off the stamp and BAM. This one had no sticky material or anything for that matter, it looked like it was printed from the computer. I walked back to my room and proceeded to write to the lucky people who get a postcard from me. Joanna walked into the room and I asked her the most dumb question of how you put a stamp on a postcard. She said, "People lick it." I said, "Uh no thanks." hahaha, so Joanna gave me some glue, and MAGIC!
After Joanna left the room for class, I blasted Taylor Swift (as usual) and decided to "buckle down" (as my dad would say) and got to work. For a couple hours, I brainstormed a Tiger Beer advertisement (for my assignment). I thought of a fun tagline and attacked my laptop, googling images and information on Tigers and Tiger Beer. In the midst of creativity, I received a text from Lizzi, asking to go to the pool. Immediately, I dropped everything and as fast as I could typed back "YES" (especially after my long and wet trek around campus). We went swimming and chatted about our day....I always look forward to swimming with her.... it seems to wash away all of the day's troubles hahaha. Corny.. I know! The pool is probably my favorite place on campus, there are palm trees swaying and blue water....what more could you ask for?
We had dinner in North Spine on the top floor. It's such a nice place to eat there, it's air-conditioned, and has a wide variety of food. I ordered the dumpling noodle dish....so good! It was hearty and meaty and hit the spot. We're off to Sentosa Island for the loooong weekend and I cannot wait! I just have to get through the next 3 days. But, yeah everything is so far so good, the way it should be. I have class at 9am and 2:30pm tomorrow, so off to sleep! Until then, much love from the Chatty Chong! xo
Also, some new vocabulary for ya.........
toilets = bathroom
lift = elevator
pants = underwear/panties
trousers = pants
queue = line
Uni = university
chips = french fries
crisps = chips (like potato chips)
tube = subway/mrt
..........Fun, right?!
Today, I decided to get my act together, so I paid my housing, went to the supermarket, and did laundry... I was pretty productive and did not, I repeat did not use the shuttle bus at all! I know, I know you are proud of me! NTU's campus is SO huge, it is not normal to walk everywhere. I walked and walked and sweated buckets, did I mention how soaked my shirt was? Or, how shiny my face was? My poor poor skin......
Joanna, my roomie and I got lunch today! It was really nice getting to know her. We are making it a every Tuesday lunch kind of thing. We both got Korean food (mama would be proud of me). I got "yuk gae jang" which is a spicy beef stew. It did not taste like mommy's, but I managed. It had weird, random things thrown in the soup, and no, I did not eat it, I stuck with rice and the broth, maybe few noodles here and there. Joanna got BBQ Pork, I believe.... her first time eating Korean food! I was so proud! =)
I went to the supermarket to buy apple juice, bananas, post cards, stamps, and other pointless things. I bought 10 stamps for $5 (Singapore $). The lady handed me the stamps, and I looked at it with a funny face. I was expecting a sticky kind of stamp, like the ones we use in the US, you know, you just peel off the stamp and BAM. This one had no sticky material or anything for that matter, it looked like it was printed from the computer. I walked back to my room and proceeded to write to the lucky people who get a postcard from me. Joanna walked into the room and I asked her the most dumb question of how you put a stamp on a postcard. She said, "People lick it." I said, "Uh no thanks." hahaha, so Joanna gave me some glue, and MAGIC!
After Joanna left the room for class, I blasted Taylor Swift (as usual) and decided to "buckle down" (as my dad would say) and got to work. For a couple hours, I brainstormed a Tiger Beer advertisement (for my assignment). I thought of a fun tagline and attacked my laptop, googling images and information on Tigers and Tiger Beer. In the midst of creativity, I received a text from Lizzi, asking to go to the pool. Immediately, I dropped everything and as fast as I could typed back "YES" (especially after my long and wet trek around campus). We went swimming and chatted about our day....I always look forward to swimming with her.... it seems to wash away all of the day's troubles hahaha. Corny.. I know! The pool is probably my favorite place on campus, there are palm trees swaying and blue water....what more could you ask for?
We had dinner in North Spine on the top floor. It's such a nice place to eat there, it's air-conditioned, and has a wide variety of food. I ordered the dumpling noodle dish....so good! It was hearty and meaty and hit the spot. We're off to Sentosa Island for the loooong weekend and I cannot wait! I just have to get through the next 3 days. But, yeah everything is so far so good, the way it should be. I have class at 9am and 2:30pm tomorrow, so off to sleep! Until then, much love from the Chatty Chong! xo
Also, some new vocabulary for ya.........
toilets = bathroom
lift = elevator
pants = underwear/panties
trousers = pants
queue = line
Uni = university
chips = french fries
crisps = chips (like potato chips)
tube = subway/mrt
..........Fun, right?!
Sunday 21 August 2011
Finally, the zoo!
Hello my US/International loversssssss!
After an hour and a half of traveling on the bus and mrt, we finally made it to the zoo! We were all so dead tired, but once we saw the sign that read, "Singapore Zoo," there was a rush of adrenaline that sparked excitement as we entered the area. With our bellies growling away, we decided to settle down with KFC for lunch rather than your typical rice and noodles. Now if you know me, I NEVER put fast-food in my mouth at home, but in Singapore, I time to time need a taste of greasy, nasty, American fast-food, and today was that day. I had a spicy chicken sandwich with of course KFC mashed potatoes and gravy, oddly it tasted soo damn good at that moment, but afterward I felt like crap...oops, my B.
As we entered the zoo area, we were greeted with two monkeys hanging out in the tree, and of course, cameras were ripped out of handbags and were shot right away. It was the hottest day ever; if you did not sweat, then something was clearly wrong with you. We saw so many animals!!! From elephants to kangaroos to lemurs and even manatees, there were a large range of animals from different countries all over the world! It was a huge zoo with lots of beautiful nature as well. Singapore is a very beautiful place, from the city to woodlands. I felt like I was walking around NTU campus though because of the size!
Okay real quick, I need to go off on a tangent.....last night, Lizzi, A.M., Katie and I went to Beer Fest at the staff bar and I had the MOST AMAZING drink ever! It was Brothers Toffee Apple Cider. It was soooooo damn good and tasted even better after a long day at the Water Park. At Beer Fest, I walked up and down to spot any [American] beers, like good ol Budlight, Coors, or my faveeeeeeee Corona Extra Lime....but none, a little depressing hahaha, but I settled with Brothers and it was life-changing! All this beer made me think of good ol Zen and Murphy's on York Road, the sticky bar table and people shoving you....ahhhh Loyola..
Ok back to the zoo, see what happens when you go abroad in Europe or Asia, the drinking age is legal and all us Americans think about is... BEER (alcohol)...anywho, on a sober subject, the zoo was phenomenol. I was very impressed, especially with this one exhibit called, "Fragile Forest." Although I was dodging and running away from flying birds, butterflies, oh and an iguana (no big deal), it was amazing, and I was glad I did it! I posed next to a lemur that was literally a foot away from me. The animals are set free and actually, flying ducks almost knocked over my friends! After that little mishap, I decided to walk with caution. Also, I think I sweated even more not because of the heat, but from being scared of the animals..oops?
We were all dead by 5pm, you could tell from our faces, with bags under our eyes, frowns (well me haha), and the occassional big yawns, it was time to go! After our 1.5 hour travel this morning, we were not looking forward to the deathly trip of the bus and mrt, so we decided to take a cab. Considering the fact that there were 13 of us, we were screwed. We finally found a van that fit 13 of us.. SCORE! Half of us were passed out (including myself) haha. After a 20 minute drive....let me say that again.. 20 MINUTES...we ended up at Pioneer Station hawker center. I had a DELICIOUS meal that I swallowed whole. People probably thought I hadn't eaten for days...def. felt like it! After that, we decided to go back to campus. The girls are off to a move in the Chem building, I decided to go back and be a loser, shower, skype Mama Chong, read (HA), and sleep early, since tomorrow is Hell day, I mean Monday. We're thinking of Bali this weekend! Hopefully it all works out because we are off next Monday and Tuesday! What's up 4 day weekend?!? Until next time, sending YOU some international love from the Chatty Chong!
P.S. Any evergreens reading this-----HATE YOU ALL because fall o is coming up! miss you all! know that I am thinking of you, yes you! No one's loud as me, so Justine has proudly offered to be Shannon Chong in the fall hahaha. LYLAS...TJ IS SOOO HAWWWWT.
After an hour and a half of traveling on the bus and mrt, we finally made it to the zoo! We were all so dead tired, but once we saw the sign that read, "Singapore Zoo," there was a rush of adrenaline that sparked excitement as we entered the area. With our bellies growling away, we decided to settle down with KFC for lunch rather than your typical rice and noodles. Now if you know me, I NEVER put fast-food in my mouth at home, but in Singapore, I time to time need a taste of greasy, nasty, American fast-food, and today was that day. I had a spicy chicken sandwich with of course KFC mashed potatoes and gravy, oddly it tasted soo damn good at that moment, but afterward I felt like crap...oops, my B.
As we entered the zoo area, we were greeted with two monkeys hanging out in the tree, and of course, cameras were ripped out of handbags and were shot right away. It was the hottest day ever; if you did not sweat, then something was clearly wrong with you. We saw so many animals!!! From elephants to kangaroos to lemurs and even manatees, there were a large range of animals from different countries all over the world! It was a huge zoo with lots of beautiful nature as well. Singapore is a very beautiful place, from the city to woodlands. I felt like I was walking around NTU campus though because of the size!
Okay real quick, I need to go off on a tangent.....last night, Lizzi, A.M., Katie and I went to Beer Fest at the staff bar and I had the MOST AMAZING drink ever! It was Brothers Toffee Apple Cider. It was soooooo damn good and tasted even better after a long day at the Water Park. At Beer Fest, I walked up and down to spot any [American] beers, like good ol Budlight, Coors, or my faveeeeeeee Corona Extra Lime....but none, a little depressing hahaha, but I settled with Brothers and it was life-changing! All this beer made me think of good ol Zen and Murphy's on York Road, the sticky bar table and people shoving you....ahhhh Loyola..
Ok back to the zoo, see what happens when you go abroad in Europe or Asia, the drinking age is legal and all us Americans think about is... BEER (alcohol)...anywho, on a sober subject, the zoo was phenomenol. I was very impressed, especially with this one exhibit called, "Fragile Forest." Although I was dodging and running away from flying birds, butterflies, oh and an iguana (no big deal), it was amazing, and I was glad I did it! I posed next to a lemur that was literally a foot away from me. The animals are set free and actually, flying ducks almost knocked over my friends! After that little mishap, I decided to walk with caution. Also, I think I sweated even more not because of the heat, but from being scared of the animals..oops?
We were all dead by 5pm, you could tell from our faces, with bags under our eyes, frowns (well me haha), and the occassional big yawns, it was time to go! After our 1.5 hour travel this morning, we were not looking forward to the deathly trip of the bus and mrt, so we decided to take a cab. Considering the fact that there were 13 of us, we were screwed. We finally found a van that fit 13 of us.. SCORE! Half of us were passed out (including myself) haha. After a 20 minute drive....let me say that again.. 20 MINUTES...we ended up at Pioneer Station hawker center. I had a DELICIOUS meal that I swallowed whole. People probably thought I hadn't eaten for days...def. felt like it! After that, we decided to go back to campus. The girls are off to a move in the Chem building, I decided to go back and be a loser, shower, skype Mama Chong, read (HA), and sleep early, since tomorrow is Hell day, I mean Monday. We're thinking of Bali this weekend! Hopefully it all works out because we are off next Monday and Tuesday! What's up 4 day weekend?!? Until next time, sending YOU some international love from the Chatty Chong!
P.S. Any evergreens reading this-----HATE YOU ALL because fall o is coming up! miss you all! know that I am thinking of you, yes you! No one's loud as me, so Justine has proudly offered to be Shannon Chong in the fall hahaha. LYLAS...TJ IS SOOO HAWWWWT.
Saturday 20 August 2011
Forbidden City twice in 1 week? WHY NOT?
Hello! It's been a while since I've blogged...I've just been so busy!! I did not forget about any of you!
This was the second week of classes and so far, everything seems to be working out as planned. I am taking Marketing, Integrated Marketing Comm, PR Writing, and Advertising Creativity/Copywriting....which is great! The professors are all nice.... I think academically it will be a good semester. I enjoy my major/minor, so call me a nerd, but I'm excited!
It's so funny how people are leaving to go abroad this week, when I have been in Singapore for over 20 days... it feels so much longer than that though. Kelley and Merrie are in Ireland; Libbie is off to Denmark; and Katie is off to Spain soon. I have made some great friends from all over the world; I feel comfortable with them. The homesickness is getting better....baby steps... baby steps. Now that school is in full gear with readings and tutorial week, I am pretty sure I will be occupied. The school work is really not that bad though, comparing to Loyola. In some of my classes, the readings are very similar or the material in the textbook is something I already covered at Loyola, so nothing to really complain about.
On Tuesday night, I went out to dinner with my aunt's best friend (Ms. Wendy) and her family who actually live here in Singapore. It is really nice to have some type of "family" structure, especially since I have been homesick. That's another thing I want to talk about homesickness, but before I do, I'll tell you about the dinner. It was in Vivo City which is near Sentosa boardwalk...absolutely beautiful place. I ate a very nice Chinese restaurant with Ms. Wendy, her husband, her two children (Aaron and Elisabeth), and her niece (Daphne). They are all such friendly people! Her children are 11 and 8, so they are much younger than I am which is great because I love children! Her niece is 19 and is studying abroad in the UK for 3 years. She is very sweet and down-to-earth, and we may hang out in the future before she leaves. Before we ate, Daphne, Elisabeth, and I walked on the boardwalk. It was a nice setting with the sunset and breeze. Daphne and I bonded over girly things like shopping and school, etc. We finally got to the table and started our feast, we ate peking duck (which was absolutely delicious), pork, beef, shrimp in a creamy wasabi sauce, crab fried rice, vegetables, and so on. The catch about this restaurant is there is a spinning round table on the table; the waiter puts the dishes on the table and we spin the table instead of passing around the plates to each other---it's kind of nifty! I look forward to seeing Ms. Wendy and her family again!
Homesickness---never did I think in a million years I would feel this. At Loyola, I forget to call home and talk to my family---as bad as it sounds, I never miss home, but I think it is because I am so close to home, I know I can go home whenever I want to at any time, I know I have that ability, whereas in Singapore, I do not. I am not a "home-body," but I do love my family. I flew here by myself, had to do things on my own, and find friends (like freshman year all over again but in a new country). At one point, I wanted to quit and fly back to the US, but I knew why I came to Singapore, and I intend to meet my goals and have the best experience ever, seriously, when am I ever going to do this again? The homesickness has definitely died down a bit, since I have been hanging out with my friends more and opening my mind up. I think the first month abroad, there is a "homesickness hump," that everyone needs to get over, and once you're over, you finally understand the real reasons why you are where you are. We'll see how it goes!
On Wednesday night, I went out to Ladies Night at Clarke Quay, specifically Forbidden City, which is basically our favorite place. I had a ton of fun, maybe drank a little too much, but still went to classes on Thursday. I intend to go to every single lecture and tutorial to the best of my ability! It's so nice to drink OF AGE comfortably, instead of freaking out in the US, whether or not I'll get in trouble or not.
Last night (Friday), my whole entire group of friends (20 of us), went out to a hawker centre in Raffles Place. Hawker centres are cheap and affordable food courts with so many different kinds of Asian foods, from Korean to Chinese to Indian....you name it. I got Korean Rameon with rice, kind of tasted like the once from home, but I guess I just needed a taste of home that night. Each couple of people shared a jug of Tiger Beer and we sat there with our bellies full, listening to the live band. After a couple of hours, we headed our way to the bridge in Clarke Quay. We had a great time, drinking and chatting, and soon enough moved our party group to Forbidden City (once again, our favorite place haha). Everybody was wasted (I was not as wasted only cause on Wednesday, I had my fair share) and having a good time. I finally danced on the fish aquarium stage, literally it's a huge fish tank but as a stage. After dancing for countless hours, I returned back to good ol Hall 12 and passed out.
Today, I woke up and layed around until 1 pm. We grabbed lunch in North Spine. I had McDonalds. Funny thing is, you will NEVER catch me with fast-food at home, but in Singapore, sometimes I have to eat the nasty, greasy McD's just 'cause my poor stomach cannot handle endless amounts of rice, noodles, and chicken. We decided to go the water park off of Chinese Garden mrt stop. It was a ton of fun and really cheap too! It was $2 admission, 40 cents to rent a locker, and $4 to rent a tube.....cheap! It was a really nice inexpensive day! Katie and I grabbed dinner in the hawker centre nearby and chatted. I returned to my room, showered, and now I'm here. I have water in my ear though, which is distracting me!
Off to the zoo tomorrow (hopefully it does not rain)! Maybe, staff club with the girls tonight? It's beer fest all weekend, we'll see.. we'll see...until then, much love from the Chatty Chong! Miss you all at home! xoxo
This was the second week of classes and so far, everything seems to be working out as planned. I am taking Marketing, Integrated Marketing Comm, PR Writing, and Advertising Creativity/Copywriting....which is great! The professors are all nice.... I think academically it will be a good semester. I enjoy my major/minor, so call me a nerd, but I'm excited!
It's so funny how people are leaving to go abroad this week, when I have been in Singapore for over 20 days... it feels so much longer than that though. Kelley and Merrie are in Ireland; Libbie is off to Denmark; and Katie is off to Spain soon. I have made some great friends from all over the world; I feel comfortable with them. The homesickness is getting better....baby steps... baby steps. Now that school is in full gear with readings and tutorial week, I am pretty sure I will be occupied. The school work is really not that bad though, comparing to Loyola. In some of my classes, the readings are very similar or the material in the textbook is something I already covered at Loyola, so nothing to really complain about.
On Tuesday night, I went out to dinner with my aunt's best friend (Ms. Wendy) and her family who actually live here in Singapore. It is really nice to have some type of "family" structure, especially since I have been homesick. That's another thing I want to talk about homesickness, but before I do, I'll tell you about the dinner. It was in Vivo City which is near Sentosa boardwalk...absolutely beautiful place. I ate a very nice Chinese restaurant with Ms. Wendy, her husband, her two children (Aaron and Elisabeth), and her niece (Daphne). They are all such friendly people! Her children are 11 and 8, so they are much younger than I am which is great because I love children! Her niece is 19 and is studying abroad in the UK for 3 years. She is very sweet and down-to-earth, and we may hang out in the future before she leaves. Before we ate, Daphne, Elisabeth, and I walked on the boardwalk. It was a nice setting with the sunset and breeze. Daphne and I bonded over girly things like shopping and school, etc. We finally got to the table and started our feast, we ate peking duck (which was absolutely delicious), pork, beef, shrimp in a creamy wasabi sauce, crab fried rice, vegetables, and so on. The catch about this restaurant is there is a spinning round table on the table; the waiter puts the dishes on the table and we spin the table instead of passing around the plates to each other---it's kind of nifty! I look forward to seeing Ms. Wendy and her family again!
Homesickness---never did I think in a million years I would feel this. At Loyola, I forget to call home and talk to my family---as bad as it sounds, I never miss home, but I think it is because I am so close to home, I know I can go home whenever I want to at any time, I know I have that ability, whereas in Singapore, I do not. I am not a "home-body," but I do love my family. I flew here by myself, had to do things on my own, and find friends (like freshman year all over again but in a new country). At one point, I wanted to quit and fly back to the US, but I knew why I came to Singapore, and I intend to meet my goals and have the best experience ever, seriously, when am I ever going to do this again? The homesickness has definitely died down a bit, since I have been hanging out with my friends more and opening my mind up. I think the first month abroad, there is a "homesickness hump," that everyone needs to get over, and once you're over, you finally understand the real reasons why you are where you are. We'll see how it goes!
On Wednesday night, I went out to Ladies Night at Clarke Quay, specifically Forbidden City, which is basically our favorite place. I had a ton of fun, maybe drank a little too much, but still went to classes on Thursday. I intend to go to every single lecture and tutorial to the best of my ability! It's so nice to drink OF AGE comfortably, instead of freaking out in the US, whether or not I'll get in trouble or not.
Last night (Friday), my whole entire group of friends (20 of us), went out to a hawker centre in Raffles Place. Hawker centres are cheap and affordable food courts with so many different kinds of Asian foods, from Korean to Chinese to Indian....you name it. I got Korean Rameon with rice, kind of tasted like the once from home, but I guess I just needed a taste of home that night. Each couple of people shared a jug of Tiger Beer and we sat there with our bellies full, listening to the live band. After a couple of hours, we headed our way to the bridge in Clarke Quay. We had a great time, drinking and chatting, and soon enough moved our party group to Forbidden City (once again, our favorite place haha). Everybody was wasted (I was not as wasted only cause on Wednesday, I had my fair share) and having a good time. I finally danced on the fish aquarium stage, literally it's a huge fish tank but as a stage. After dancing for countless hours, I returned back to good ol Hall 12 and passed out.
Today, I woke up and layed around until 1 pm. We grabbed lunch in North Spine. I had McDonalds. Funny thing is, you will NEVER catch me with fast-food at home, but in Singapore, sometimes I have to eat the nasty, greasy McD's just 'cause my poor stomach cannot handle endless amounts of rice, noodles, and chicken. We decided to go the water park off of Chinese Garden mrt stop. It was a ton of fun and really cheap too! It was $2 admission, 40 cents to rent a locker, and $4 to rent a tube.....cheap! It was a really nice inexpensive day! Katie and I grabbed dinner in the hawker centre nearby and chatted. I returned to my room, showered, and now I'm here. I have water in my ear though, which is distracting me!
Off to the zoo tomorrow (hopefully it does not rain)! Maybe, staff club with the girls tonight? It's beer fest all weekend, we'll see.. we'll see...until then, much love from the Chatty Chong! Miss you all at home! xoxo
Sunday 14 August 2011
Italy in Singapore?!? Talk about diversity!
So because I'm sick, I skipped out on Malaysia (damn it!) BUT I had a great weekend with the Edinburgh kids! They're awesome! So friendly! We went to the mall and I bought two dresses from New Look..it's like USA's version of Forever21...so I was basically in Heaven! Great prices and great clothes! I will be back there hahaha.
After endless walking and shopping, we met up with the boys in Holland Village or was it Holland Town? haha oops...well we went there and it's a street with cafes, restaurants, bars, and cute shops. We ate a Amici, an authentic Italian restaurant..did I mention how DELICIOUS it was?!? The restaurant was little but soo adorable! I ordered the tortellini with ham and mushroom cream sauce...SO GOOD! It was soo great eating Italian and not rice, noodles, and deep fried chicken in sauce haha. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who vists Singapore and has a taste for Italy!
On our way home, the girls and I could not hold our laughter in when we spotted a couple on the MRT...they were holding each other and looking at each other...but...with frowns?...It was weird.. maybe they just saw a very sad film or came from a funeral? It was weird, strange, and...odd..? haha.
The medicine is definitely working...all 6 of them... haha. Asians love their drugs! I feel a whole lot better than last week and I'm happy I rested this weekend instead of travelling around...it was a hard decision to make, but totally worth it! Almost done with the medicines...maybe a couple more days and I'm praying to Buddha that I'll be fully recovered!
Other than that, tutorials are starting up so it's time to buckle down and get busy.... Miss America and all my loves back home! I wish I could skype you all but just know I am thinking of you! Until next time, much love from the Chatty Chong!
After endless walking and shopping, we met up with the boys in Holland Village or was it Holland Town? haha oops...well we went there and it's a street with cafes, restaurants, bars, and cute shops. We ate a Amici, an authentic Italian restaurant..did I mention how DELICIOUS it was?!? The restaurant was little but soo adorable! I ordered the tortellini with ham and mushroom cream sauce...SO GOOD! It was soo great eating Italian and not rice, noodles, and deep fried chicken in sauce haha. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who vists Singapore and has a taste for Italy!
On our way home, the girls and I could not hold our laughter in when we spotted a couple on the MRT...they were holding each other and looking at each other...but...with frowns?...It was weird.. maybe they just saw a very sad film or came from a funeral? It was weird, strange, and...odd..? haha.
The medicine is definitely working...all 6 of them... haha. Asians love their drugs! I feel a whole lot better than last week and I'm happy I rested this weekend instead of travelling around...it was a hard decision to make, but totally worth it! Almost done with the medicines...maybe a couple more days and I'm praying to Buddha that I'll be fully recovered!
Other than that, tutorials are starting up so it's time to buckle down and get busy.... Miss America and all my loves back home! I wish I could skype you all but just know I am thinking of you! Until next time, much love from the Chatty Chong!
Friday 12 August 2011
Yesterday was Thursday. Today is Friday.
"Yesterday was Thursday. Today is Friday" is what my professor said this morning...he definitely listened to some Rebecca Black this morning haha.
This week was the first week of lectures! Tutorials start up (along with lectures) next week! I'm excited for classes---I enjoy communications and marketing...call me a nerd! Add/Drop is stressful here! Right now, I'm trying to drop 2 courses to add a marketing and advertising course...wish me luck!!!
Everything so far is good here in Singapore. The pools with the palm trees are just great...when I'm not in class..you can find me at the pool! I've been hanging out with the Canadian and UK/Scottish girls a lot...they are just wonderful people, all down to earth, and remind me of my friends from the US which is a GREAT thing.. I feel comfortable in my skin when I am with them.
One downfall: I'm SICK =(
I have a terrible cough which hurts, runny/stuffed up nose, headaches and stomach pains... I really think it's cause my body is trying to adjust the new life I am encountering which includes the food, the weather, and so on... I visited the Med. Centre and the doctor gave me 6 different medicines... 6! The Asians love their meds! Because of my illness, I have to skip out on a weekend in Malaysia....DAMN! But, I will spend great times with the UK/Scottish group---such a nice group of people.
I am so happy with the friends I have made here so far. It's so cool to have international friends and to see their way of life and the way they speak. I think it's funny when people say that I have such a "strong American accent" haha.
So for now, I am being a loser and staying in so I can get better... sleep is the best remedy when you're sick...so I'm off to shower and bed... Until next time, Much love from the Chatty Chong!
This week was the first week of lectures! Tutorials start up (along with lectures) next week! I'm excited for classes---I enjoy communications and marketing...call me a nerd! Add/Drop is stressful here! Right now, I'm trying to drop 2 courses to add a marketing and advertising course...wish me luck!!!
Everything so far is good here in Singapore. The pools with the palm trees are just great...when I'm not in class..you can find me at the pool! I've been hanging out with the Canadian and UK/Scottish girls a lot...they are just wonderful people, all down to earth, and remind me of my friends from the US which is a GREAT thing.. I feel comfortable in my skin when I am with them.
One downfall: I'm SICK =(
I have a terrible cough which hurts, runny/stuffed up nose, headaches and stomach pains... I really think it's cause my body is trying to adjust the new life I am encountering which includes the food, the weather, and so on... I visited the Med. Centre and the doctor gave me 6 different medicines... 6! The Asians love their meds! Because of my illness, I have to skip out on a weekend in Malaysia....DAMN! But, I will spend great times with the UK/Scottish group---such a nice group of people.
I am so happy with the friends I have made here so far. It's so cool to have international friends and to see their way of life and the way they speak. I think it's funny when people say that I have such a "strong American accent" haha.
So for now, I am being a loser and staying in so I can get better... sleep is the best remedy when you're sick...so I'm off to shower and bed... Until next time, Much love from the Chatty Chong!
Monday 8 August 2011
Glee...Bieber fever...woman acapella group?
1st day of classes! woohoo! I had IMC (integrated marketing comm) and Communication Campaign today. The professors are great! I think I'm going to enjoy the classes. As for the other two courses, I dropped brand management and added PR writing and waiting on Marketing....the add/drop here is sooo disorganized, so the next time we have add/drop at Loyola... I won't complain =) The walk to IMC was BRUTAL, Meg and I walked maybe 20 mins to class and by the time we were there, our shirts were damped with sweat...DISGUSTING! But, all was well...so I don't have much to complain about my two classes..SO FAR.
Most depressing moment of my life: LUNCH. I ate by myself in canteen 13...I was so lonely and depressed... I'm pretty sure people who walked by felt sympathetic towards me. I shoveled my food down to forget about the fact I was eating alone...never have done that unless I'm in a rush to do a paper or something.. OH well!
I went back to my room and did laundry and talked to Liz Creed on FB chat...what a doll! The laundry is free, but dryers are a dollar! not too bad! After laundry, I just sat in my room.....sitting, waiting, sitting, staring at the walls.... I was soo lonely... so I decided to take a nappy for an hour before Comm. Campaigns....I hopped on the shuttle this time, and although it was a long ride, it was better than being soaked in my own sweat, going up and down the hills and stairs!
After class, I met up with the Canadian girls and had dinner. We then went to Jasmine's common area and performed add/drop, for Shelby it was a success, for me...it was not.. I just need one more course...ONE! The COMM. ones clash with my schedule as well as everything else, EXCEPT a marketing course... I wanna take it here and get it over with so I can do upper level marketing courses...is that too much to ask for?!?! After add/drop, the girls and I blared Glee music and Justin Bieber and sang along... I'm pretty sure Malaysia could hear us sing =) We then went to the staff bar and met up with our usual group (whom I love sooo dearly!). We ordered like 4 Tiger Beer Towers and shared it among ourselves. It was really nice =) I love my international family! Shelby, Meg, and I walked back from the staff bar and sang Glee and random songs all the way back to the residence halls. It was HILARIOUS, I'm pretty sure the Singaporeans thought we were drunk...oh wait... =)
Tomorrrow (well today since it's 1:09am) is NATIONAL SINGAPORE DAY! Happy birthday Singapore! We are off of school, so let the celebrations begin! I'm dead tired! I have been up since 7:30am...so off to bed! Until next time, much love from the Chatty Chong!
Most depressing moment of my life: LUNCH. I ate by myself in canteen 13...I was so lonely and depressed... I'm pretty sure people who walked by felt sympathetic towards me. I shoveled my food down to forget about the fact I was eating alone...never have done that unless I'm in a rush to do a paper or something.. OH well!
I went back to my room and did laundry and talked to Liz Creed on FB chat...what a doll! The laundry is free, but dryers are a dollar! not too bad! After laundry, I just sat in my room.....sitting, waiting, sitting, staring at the walls.... I was soo lonely... so I decided to take a nappy for an hour before Comm. Campaigns....I hopped on the shuttle this time, and although it was a long ride, it was better than being soaked in my own sweat, going up and down the hills and stairs!
After class, I met up with the Canadian girls and had dinner. We then went to Jasmine's common area and performed add/drop, for Shelby it was a success, for me...it was not.. I just need one more course...ONE! The COMM. ones clash with my schedule as well as everything else, EXCEPT a marketing course... I wanna take it here and get it over with so I can do upper level marketing courses...is that too much to ask for?!?! After add/drop, the girls and I blared Glee music and Justin Bieber and sang along... I'm pretty sure Malaysia could hear us sing =) We then went to the staff bar and met up with our usual group (whom I love sooo dearly!). We ordered like 4 Tiger Beer Towers and shared it among ourselves. It was really nice =) I love my international family! Shelby, Meg, and I walked back from the staff bar and sang Glee and random songs all the way back to the residence halls. It was HILARIOUS, I'm pretty sure the Singaporeans thought we were drunk...oh wait... =)
Tomorrrow (well today since it's 1:09am) is NATIONAL SINGAPORE DAY! Happy birthday Singapore! We are off of school, so let the celebrations begin! I'm dead tired! I have been up since 7:30am...so off to bed! Until next time, much love from the Chatty Chong!
Sunday 7 August 2011
Immerse Yourself
The next day after Sentosa, we visited Little India and Chinatown (once more). We visited buddhist/hindu temples which were absolutely fascinating and beautiful. The colors were vibrant and you could tell that the sculptures were meticulously made, with every sharp detail of the human and animal faces.You had to take your shoes off though, so there were piles and piles of shoes in front of the temples. I was afraid I was going to lose mine!! I mostly walked around Little India with Annemette and Lizzi. It was nice to be with the girls for a change hahaha. The boys were straggling along. And of course it was the hottest day ever...the sun was beating down on us as our shirts became more damp with our own sweat. After walking around here and there and exploring, we decided to go to Chinatown for dinner to meet up with Dominik who said he knew the best seafood place in town.
Annemette, Lizzi, and I made a pit stop at the toilets (they call it toilets here instead of bathroom)...and guess what I did there?! PAY 10 cents to use the bathroom! and that was WITHOUT toilet paper....absolutely crazyyyy! I was shocked for sure and digusted b/c there was no toilet paper...talk about culture shock! After that horrifying incident, we proceeded to get some dinner in Chinatown...
The girls split and ate at a thai place while I stayed with the boys and had some seafood. I got a seafood noodle dish, while the boys practically ordered a seafood feast...it reminded me of Thanksgiving dinner....plates in the middle of the table, and everyone grabbing at whatever they can and stuffing themselves. The boys licked the plates clean!!! Justin and Dominik ordered the famous Singapore Chili Crab...I tried a little piece and it was delicious! The sauce was sweet but hot! After rubbing our bellies, we decided to go to Clarke Quay bridge and meet up with Robbie and everyone else. It's so nice to be surrounded by familiar faces and drinking and just hanging out.
The next day, Team America plus Fiona went to Boon Lay to have lunch. We ate at Pepper Lunch---absolutely delicious food! They bring out your food on a hot plate. You then proceed to cook and mix it around and add sauce. It was like a mini hibachi on a plate. I ordered the chicken and salmon rice. It was almost cooked to perfection, so I moved it all around on my hot plate and added this sweet honey brown sauce. It was hot, tangy, and delicious!! I then purchased school supplies and started to feel excitement for classes..I enjoy communications, so I was ready for school! We decided to go watch a movie, but the one we wanted to see did not start until 5:30 so we decided to go to Jurong East, I believe to see if there was another movie....After walking around for hours and hours, we were informed that the movies were only at Boon Lay. Frustrated, hot, and bothered, we went back and sat at the food court, waiting for 5:30.
All of a sudden, I felt a surge of exhaustion and homesickness....out of no where. I decided to go back, rest a little, and hang out with Jasmine and Shelby. I grabbed dinner with them along with Kelly at Canteen 13...the food was just O.K--it was the same thing, same taste...just "blehhh." Shelby, Jasmine, and I decided to walk to Wee Kim Wee School of Communications and Information so we had a feel for where our classes would be. After walking around for half an hour dripping sweat all over the place, we found it! The building has a really cool and interesting set up. It is not indoors, it is outdoors. In the middle of the campus, there are tables where you can eat, hang out, or study. Along the borders are the lecture and tutorial rooms.... I will be spending a lot of time there! After finding the place, we decided to reward ourselves to McDonalds Oreo McFlurry's at North Spine. It was sooooooooo good and it was just what I needed---a taste of home. After that, I went back to my room and prepared for classes and skyped my family. I miss them soo much... after talking to them, I just wanted to hop on a plane and be with them, instead I showered, calmed down, and talked to Katie Joumas from home! Miss that girl....
Now on to TODAY...so far I had one class, my Integrated Marketing Communications. I walked over to the lecture with Meg. We were sweatyyyyyy! The professor is really cool, I think I am going to enjoy this class. We just have two assignments: a tutorial due before recess week and after, then a final, so just 3 things to get through this semester. I am excited because I enjoy IMC and like to see how everything works together. I grabbed a quick lunch afterwards and proceeded to attack laundry. Washing is free!! Drying is only a dollar--not bad at all....definitely A LOT cheaper and faster than Loyola =) Now, I am just cooling down, folding laundry, and going to CHILL out. I have one more class today at 3:30...until then, much love from the Chatty Chong!
Annemette, Lizzi, and I made a pit stop at the toilets (they call it toilets here instead of bathroom)...and guess what I did there?! PAY 10 cents to use the bathroom! and that was WITHOUT toilet paper....absolutely crazyyyy! I was shocked for sure and digusted b/c there was no toilet paper...talk about culture shock! After that horrifying incident, we proceeded to get some dinner in Chinatown...
The girls split and ate at a thai place while I stayed with the boys and had some seafood. I got a seafood noodle dish, while the boys practically ordered a seafood feast...it reminded me of Thanksgiving dinner....plates in the middle of the table, and everyone grabbing at whatever they can and stuffing themselves. The boys licked the plates clean!!! Justin and Dominik ordered the famous Singapore Chili Crab...I tried a little piece and it was delicious! The sauce was sweet but hot! After rubbing our bellies, we decided to go to Clarke Quay bridge and meet up with Robbie and everyone else. It's so nice to be surrounded by familiar faces and drinking and just hanging out.
The next day, Team America plus Fiona went to Boon Lay to have lunch. We ate at Pepper Lunch---absolutely delicious food! They bring out your food on a hot plate. You then proceed to cook and mix it around and add sauce. It was like a mini hibachi on a plate. I ordered the chicken and salmon rice. It was almost cooked to perfection, so I moved it all around on my hot plate and added this sweet honey brown sauce. It was hot, tangy, and delicious!! I then purchased school supplies and started to feel excitement for classes..I enjoy communications, so I was ready for school! We decided to go watch a movie, but the one we wanted to see did not start until 5:30 so we decided to go to Jurong East, I believe to see if there was another movie....After walking around for hours and hours, we were informed that the movies were only at Boon Lay. Frustrated, hot, and bothered, we went back and sat at the food court, waiting for 5:30.
All of a sudden, I felt a surge of exhaustion and homesickness....out of no where. I decided to go back, rest a little, and hang out with Jasmine and Shelby. I grabbed dinner with them along with Kelly at Canteen 13...the food was just O.K--it was the same thing, same taste...just "blehhh." Shelby, Jasmine, and I decided to walk to Wee Kim Wee School of Communications and Information so we had a feel for where our classes would be. After walking around for half an hour dripping sweat all over the place, we found it! The building has a really cool and interesting set up. It is not indoors, it is outdoors. In the middle of the campus, there are tables where you can eat, hang out, or study. Along the borders are the lecture and tutorial rooms.... I will be spending a lot of time there! After finding the place, we decided to reward ourselves to McDonalds Oreo McFlurry's at North Spine. It was sooooooooo good and it was just what I needed---a taste of home. After that, I went back to my room and prepared for classes and skyped my family. I miss them soo much... after talking to them, I just wanted to hop on a plane and be with them, instead I showered, calmed down, and talked to Katie Joumas from home! Miss that girl....
Now on to TODAY...so far I had one class, my Integrated Marketing Communications. I walked over to the lecture with Meg. We were sweatyyyyyy! The professor is really cool, I think I am going to enjoy this class. We just have two assignments: a tutorial due before recess week and after, then a final, so just 3 things to get through this semester. I am excited because I enjoy IMC and like to see how everything works together. I grabbed a quick lunch afterwards and proceeded to attack laundry. Washing is free!! Drying is only a dollar--not bad at all....definitely A LOT cheaper and faster than Loyola =) Now, I am just cooling down, folding laundry, and going to CHILL out. I have one more class today at 3:30...until then, much love from the Chatty Chong!
Friday 5 August 2011
Toes in the Water & Ass in the Sand
Today we went to a beach on Sentosa Island---absolutely beautiful place to visit in Singapore. The weather was perfect--humid as usual but sunny with a gentle breeze on the beach. It took about close to an hour to get to the Island, but it is well worth it. In Singapore, public transportation and walking is the best form of transportation and CHEAP too! As I was laying on the sand and swimming in the perfect bath-water ocean, I freezed in the moment and could not believe what I was doing, it was almost a dream...I just cannot believe I am halfway across the world on this beautiful island. At that very moment, I was content and happy (even more!) about my life, plus I was in the sun with a cold Tiger beer in my hand---what more could I ask for???? After relaxing and enjoying my tropical day, we met up with the Canadian girls in Chinatown.
Chinatown was just what I imagine---crazy, loud, busy, and hectic. It was like real China but in Singapore. There were lots of venues and shopping streets all over the place, where people would try to drag you into their stores or restaurants so they can basically empty out your wallet haha. I love culture and seeing different things, so Chinatown was the best move. I walked up and down the shops and touched everything--when am I ever going to do this again? I took full advantage. I did not buy anything because I want to wait until I visit Thailand (before I splurge). We had dinner at this Chinese restaurant that was basically...ridiculous. They made you pay for peanuts and wet napkins! RIP-OFF! never going there again... The boys went to Clarke Quay tonight to the Ice Bar, although I wanted to go, I decided a sober night and plus I love shopping and boys really don't, so I spent time with Shelby, Jasmine and Kelly (from Canada). They are very personable and remind me of friends from home.
After Chinatown, I received a call from Robbie (from the UK) asking my whereabouts. He was waiting for us at a MRT stop so we could go to a similar Chinatown, where there are lots of shops and stuff. We met up with the UK/Scottish girls and Leo...we sat around and just conversed and shared stories, it was very nice to just catch up. Afterwards, we went on the MRT and headed back to NTU. I am exhausted from Sentosa and Chinatown, so off to bed! Until then, much love from the Chatty Chong!
P.S. Did you know education in some institutions are free in Europe? Whereas Loyola students pay a fortune and a leg or two! Why can't all education be free?? [Fun fact of the day/night]
Chinatown was just what I imagine---crazy, loud, busy, and hectic. It was like real China but in Singapore. There were lots of venues and shopping streets all over the place, where people would try to drag you into their stores or restaurants so they can basically empty out your wallet haha. I love culture and seeing different things, so Chinatown was the best move. I walked up and down the shops and touched everything--when am I ever going to do this again? I took full advantage. I did not buy anything because I want to wait until I visit Thailand (before I splurge). We had dinner at this Chinese restaurant that was basically...ridiculous. They made you pay for peanuts and wet napkins! RIP-OFF! never going there again... The boys went to Clarke Quay tonight to the Ice Bar, although I wanted to go, I decided a sober night and plus I love shopping and boys really don't, so I spent time with Shelby, Jasmine and Kelly (from Canada). They are very personable and remind me of friends from home.
After Chinatown, I received a call from Robbie (from the UK) asking my whereabouts. He was waiting for us at a MRT stop so we could go to a similar Chinatown, where there are lots of shops and stuff. We met up with the UK/Scottish girls and Leo...we sat around and just conversed and shared stories, it was very nice to just catch up. Afterwards, we went on the MRT and headed back to NTU. I am exhausted from Sentosa and Chinatown, so off to bed! Until then, much love from the Chatty Chong!
P.S. Did you know education in some institutions are free in Europe? Whereas Loyola students pay a fortune and a leg or two! Why can't all education be free?? [Fun fact of the day/night]
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