Brett Patrick Murphy - Flexing 24/7

FINALLY A PICTURE FROM MY WINDOW

this is what i see every day pretty much

I love it.  It’s so very quiet outside except for the leaves and branches rustling and the parrots squaking.  and you feel the low rumbling of the boats in the channel.  and then some distant thunder.  Thats usually when I open the window and turn off the AC and put on some ambient music (aphex twin is very good at setting the mood).  The sky gets darker and darker and the thunder gets closer.  Then lightning will begin striking around the house.  This morning we had a bolt strike right beyond the house in that photo and the thunder shook everything.  Then the rain comes down in buckets.  It’s the daily apocalypse.

It is a strange feeling talking to friends back home and hearing about how cold its getting.  On facebook I see friends talking about the snow and things like that.  fall is in full effect in the northern hemisphere.  Here instead of changes in temperature we have a change in the amount of precipitation.  Instead of just raining a bit every day its now gone to pouring for hours every day if not for multiple days on end.  The Rainy season is here.  And we kicked it off with four straight days of torrential downpour.  I couldnt see buildings across the business park.  

With the change in the temperatures in the states I can only imagine that it’s getting into holiday mode.  I am already missing that.  It’s the best part of the year by far.  SCAD just got out for their legendary 6 week winter break.  It’s strange to be an observer rather than a participant.  This is all just part of the choice I made though.  If you’re going to live thousands of miles away from all the people you know, you’re going to miss out on some things that you used to do regularly.  

Malls here are decked out in Christmas attire and it fits the consumerist mentality quite yet.  ”I dont know why I need this but to be considered successful I just need it!”  Every family on our street owns a dog and i dont think any of them actually want a dog nor understand how to care for it.  they are all kept in 2ft cages outside and the maids are the only people we ever see tending to them.

OH LOOK ROCK BAND

I continue to be amazed at what passes as service here.  Today we ordered pizza for dinner since we were too lazy to walk out and get food.  it took TWO hours to get our food delivered.  We called to see what was up and it was clear upon arrival that they had completely forgotten about our food threw it back in the oven to heat it up and bring it over. And they forgot the chicken nuggets.  And the pizza was completely burned to a crisp.  I didnt have a problem with burned pizza, but everyone else did, so Nis called them and complained which was a chore in itself.  First of all they didnt understand what the problem was.  It took 5 minutes of her complaining to get even an “Im sorry” out of them.  The common response of service industry person when presented with such a problem is to just stop and stand there, waiting for the problem to fix itself.  It’s like watching a deer caught in headlights.  After even more complaining we finally got them to admit they had messed up and they agreed to send a replacement and the nuggets that we ordered.  And of course that took another hour to get to us.  We could have gone to the store and bought all the ingredients and made our own pizza in the time it took them to get to us.  

The other day in the train station I saw the man who probably has had the hardest life on Earth.  I was exiting the train station and wondering what was causing the traffic jam ahead.  I passed through the turn-style and stopped in my tracks, taken aback by what was initially one of the saddest things I had ever seen.  An older gentleman was pushing his paralyzed wife on a wheelchair, attempting to get her though the handicapped entrance.  This man had no legs.  He had shoes where his knees were and he was pushing her with a determined smile on his face.  He politely thanked the attendant who helped them through and they continued on their way.

I felt sad at first but then I also felt immense humility. At that moment, anything I had ever complained about suddenly seemed completely naive and pointless.  Really puts things into perspective.

But on that note I am pleased to say I have almost nothing to complain about.  I am really coming into my job.  People know who I am, not just at the office here but even in California (the Joker costume probably has a lot to do with that).  And not just do I feel like I am getting to know the people I work with, but I am getting their respect.  I still feel like my job is not exactly the most important in the company (I know it’s not hah) but I am going out of my way to make sure that I do even the most menial tasks quickly and done well.  

         A picture from Punggol, the north east part of the island

I could write more about the DJs we’ve seen recently, but I feel as though most posts seem to incorporate that kind of news in some fashion…which is probably not the most interesting subject for those not involved.  But I thought you all would at least like to know that we’ve started appearing in news papers and on websites that have event photography from the clubs.  

We’ve been slacking on taking the camera with us during the days, but I promise we’ll start doing that again so you all get a better idea of what life here is actually like! 

at the front of little india 

This week was very busy and very exciting.  The work weeks are flying by, which is a good indication that I am enjoying my job.  We had Monday off for Deepavali (Diwali) Holiday and Brett, Safrie, and I made good use of it by actually being productive. Our plans for our own little studio/creative venture are finally materializing.  It is amazing at what can be accomplished if you actually go out and do it instead of sit around and talk about doing it.  That has been the major change in my mentality since arriving here…kind of like the IBM motto : Less talking More doing. 

a small sample of the photos from that day.  

Our outfit is called “Hot Dudes Box” which is what our house is named here in Singapore.  We are getting a studio thanks to one of Safrie’s friends at the end of November and hopefully we will be able to use it as a photostudio and whatever else we feel like.  But I don’t want to divulge too much about HDB as it is still very much in its infancy.

As I said, the week went by very quickly even if I do work late on tuesdays and thursdays.  A lot of time was spent downtown at orchard at a mall called Far East Plaza which has one of Singapore’s three costume stores.  It took two trips to find the mall even though we had been there before.  One night we got out to Orchard area right as everything was about to close so we rushed to what we thought was the right mall.  It was “Far East Shopping Center”.  We thought perhaps Safrie or whoever had told us where to go just didn’t remember the right name.  After all he said it was right by a hotel that began with an H and Far East Shopping Center was right next to a Hilton.  We got in and everything was a golf store or fine suit tailor.  Clearly the wrong mall.  Turns out, we were one street over and the Far East Plaza happens to be right next to the HYATT hotel.  Ugh.  

Andy had left for Texas and would be gone for the next three weeks.  We would have to make due on the weekends without him.  And we would do just fine.

I had trouble sleeping on Halloween Eve like it was the night before Christmas.  Lucasfilm was hosting a big party at one of the premiere clubs in Singapore.  I had already planned my costume out and essentially hand made it with a bit of help from Kalene.  She had the good idea of being the Nurse Joker rather than the purple-suited one.  A wise choice.  I was initially worried that there would be 15 other jokers at so the nurse would have been a way to differentiate myself.  We left as promptly as possible from work in order to get home and get ready.  I had to do my hair, makeup, etc…it had to be perfect.  Kalene also wore an extremely elaborate Cleopatra costume so we both critiqued each other as we got ready.  

We arrived at Clark Quay and had a nice walk to get to the club.  Singapore doesn’t really celebrate Halloween, in fact, the whole concept is somewhat offensive to the main religions since Halloween could be seen as mocking the dead.  But Clark Quay was hopping and packed with people dressed up.  To my amazement, no Jokers were to be found.  I tried my best to stay in character the whole night which meant hobbling around hunched over and generally being creepy.  When we got to Indochine we were both rushed to sign up for the costume contest.  

the room mates on display

A lot of very creative costumes were at work.  I didn’t expect many people to dress up but I was impressed. my favorite was the Tony Stark in early iron man armor.  He obviously put a lot of work into it as the repulsor parts actually glowed.  There were a combination of silly and serious outfits.  The judges walked around the club as we all mingled for a bit and eventually announced the top ten costumes.  Kalene, Iron Man, and I were 3 of the 10 and we had to go on stage so everyone could see and then say a little something about ourselves.  I had practiced a few lines of the Joker’s from the movie and decided that the appropriate one would have been the “You wanna know how I got these scars?” part as it was a back story item.  The “Why So Serious” line got a good reaction.  After that it was time for people to vote.  Brett finally showed up in his Flamboyant Cowboy costume and we continued to enjoy the party.  

After about half an hour of voting the winners were to be announced.  Everyone in the top 10 got at least an Ipod for their efforts.  I ended up winning first place which was a real shock as I wasn’t really the most original costume.  Iron Man got 2nd and he got a Wii.  I got 800 dollars in travel vouchers.  This will really help our plans to travel to Thailand come true!

The free alcohol stopped flowing at 11pm which meant it was time to press onto other venues.  After all, the night was just beginning.  

We took to the streets and immediately realized (some what expected) that we would have trouble getting around without being stopped.  Earlier in the week Brett and I wagered that we’d be in at least 50 pictures. Not even close.  We couldn’t walk 10 feet without a group of people stopping us and demanding a picture. When we finally did arrive at our destinations they were at full capacity.  So we basically spent all of Friday night walking around Clark Quay and being in photos. 

As many of you probably could have guessed, Brett and I are already the pinnacle of fashion so naturally we notice things that just are not fashionable.  There are a few fashion trends that stick out, even to the untrained eye.

 Little Ms…. or Mr…..  Shirts.

 Those little characters from the books like Mr. Happy, or Little Miss Bad, are all the rage amongst the younger teens here.  Walk into any mall (again, odds are that you are already walking in a mall if you’re walking anywhere in Singapore) and you will see at least 10 different kids wearing such shirts.  They are sold practically anywhere that clothing is sold.  And still fly off the shelves.  

 Gladiator boots (for women)

Every woman in Singapore has at least 1 pair of these atrocious things.  They are just as common as the Mr. And Mrs. shirts and for the same reasons, I just don’t understand why.  The only outfit I could think of them being appropriate with would be a halloween costume, yet women wear them with anything: shorts, skirts, pants, dresses.  Any they don’t match with any of them.  Even girls we’ve met have dissed the shoes, yet when you ask if they have a pair you get a muffled “…yeaahh…” 

Engrish Shirts

Lots of people also were stupid shirts with stupid random sayings in stupid fonts that they clearly have no clue as to the meaning.  I suppose it is akin to American dudes getting Chinese words tattooed on them.  This trend transcends age groups as I have seen all ages from toddlers to elderly folks guilty of wearing the things.  It’s hard to think of a good example because if you have a fluent comprehension of the english language you automatically correct whatever the saying on the shirt was so when you try to recall it, it’s just not as humorous.  

THIS IS HOW WE DO

AND DO

We dont stand out at all. Also please notice my shirt stealing the soul out of whoever is next to me.

I apologize for the extended break in blog postings.  I will try to make up for it with an extra special entry today.  And I will resume regular posting too.  

Not too much has changed over the past 2 weeks.  We are becoming more established Singaporeans and becoming more accustomed to our environments.  

Being accustomed to our environment.

And what strange environments they are.  I still find the jungle around us to be absolutely beautiful.  Andy tells me this is nothing compared to thailand (which we are presently planning a trip to BTW) and I’m inclined to believe him.  I love the park more every time I walk through it.  The scenery is just so very different than what we are used to in the States.  

The other day we had a spectacular thunderstorm.  Out side of my window I can see the tops of the trees at the park and out past them lies a small channel between Singapore and Malaysia.  Every day in the after noon I can watch thunderstorms build up strength over the ocean and move ominously towards us.  Same thing at work too:  It is pretty amazing to watch the city disappear into a white wall of rain.  It rains every day here.  No joke.  

the best store in the world

A really cool side street that had some neat bars

Near the house

Kalene says that people started leaving because we were singing.  Kalene also happens to be a pathological liar.

We are some hot dudes.

Work has been good and I am feeling very close with most of the coworkers now that I have settled.  A trip to the bars with them is always a treat.  The other day we finished a major project and we celebrated by going to a karaoke bar and playing rock band there.  Let’s just say that the janitors had their work cut out for them…

Ive seen many awesome new places that I would never have seen other wise if we didn’t luck out with living with Andy and Kalene.  Some of the best nights I’ve had …maybe ever… have been going out with them.  

OH LOOK WHO IT IS

Official promo shot of the HOT DUDES BOX

When we’re not out partying we are probably at a mall.  That’s because there are clubs and malls in Singapore and that’s all.  Somehow the population has managed to survive off of these two sources of income alone.  You are always within eye shot of a mall.  There are malls across the street from malls.  And these malls are always completely packed.  Packed with out-of-control children tearing around causing havok and general chaos.  It is an increasingly obvious trend that Brett and I have begun to notice…kids here are completely insane and the parents don’t seem to care too much.  One of the first meals we ate was in a Burger King and there was a dad sitting at a booth eating fries or something and his two kids were running up and down the aisles knocking over chairs and screaming at the top of their lungs.  No one else seemed to mind much at all.  Another day in the mall kids were running around screaming and beating on coke machines.  I think we saw at least 3 kids eat it hardcore on the ground because they kept tripping over eachother.  

And when you turn 16 you become lethargic…almost frozen in time.  It’s not uncommon to see people spend an hour just sitting around at a food court, not eating or doing anything but just sitting.  It is also rare to find people maneuvering through malls or crowded places at a pace that most people would even consider a slow walk.  And it all seems to be without any aim or direction…rather people seem to drift about and end up in stores on a completely random basis.  It took a bit of adjusting to being in Japan since everyone walks down the left side of the road rather than the right…but it was a simple adjustment…just fall in place and you can get about quite easy.  Here, cars are on the left side…trains…all modes of transportation are lined up like the rest of the world out side of the US yet people move in a completely random way, criss-crossing, turning around, changing speed (one of the most annoying things that happens is people will run up in front of us to get by us and then just stop moving…it happens ALL the time).  I suppose it is similar on the highways as there aren’t really lanes more as there are suggestions.  A 4 land highway is really a 7 lane highway because the motorcyclists drive down the lines.

Another strange thing that we’ve noticed is that the people around here seem to be easily distracted or absorbed.  This is probably in large part due to the fact that no one seems to actually be going anywhere when they are out in public.   There are flat panel tvs everywhere showing advertisements for whatever they may be showing, and you will always find a crowd of people gathered around the tv watching.  At EVERY single one.  And not a fleeting glimpse as they walk by…people will stand there for minutes on end watching the same loop of a trailer for iron man or for some useless home appliance.  The malls here are vertical since space is at a premium, and there are clusters of people on every floor just standing around watching whatever may be playing on a screen as they pass by.  If you did some sort of a math equation and took how many malls there were in Singapore (which is probably about 8 million), multiplied that by how many floors there are and how many tvs there are and the average amount of people standing around watching them, probably 1/3rd of the entire population of is standing in front of a tv watching an advertisement for shampoo at any given time.  

People will also wait at cross walks if the light is red…I am sure jay walking can get you a flogging here, but the moment Brett and I decide to cross since no cars are coming we immediately trigger a mass exodus. I suppose their mindset is “hey if they’re doing it so can I!”  And we usually end up causing a traffic jam in the process since no one stops when cars come flying down the street because they have a green light.

It’s a different place and that’s why we love it.    

Nurul, a friend from work.  We both wore shirts with cats on them.  And travelled through time.

I do not need those glasses. 

Probably one of my favorite pictures ever.

Another week rolls by and we get more and more settled into the country.  It seems as though we have already started to get into routines.  

As you can see, we have become quite fond of the park.  Especially at night.  I have a feeling that the more fond we grow of it, the less fond our neighbors grow of us.  Even more so with the addition of our skateboards.

While we were in the park messing around oil flares started burning off in the distance.  The area surrounding Singapore is still so different than anything I was used to in the States.  There are shackled together boats and pieces of wood and other random things in the middle of the channel that Brett and I can only assume are some sort of dwelling.  We want to take a boat over to them and hang out and be pirates.  

Hari Raya was this week, which meant we got a DAY OFF!  Brett and I made good use of the day by getting lost in downtown and coastal Singapore.  We are in a bad habit of never bothering to find out where anything is before we go out.  This was no different.  We decided we would go to the wakeboard cable park.  We knew that it was on the island somewhere, so it shouldn’t be THAT hard to find.  2 hours of walking later we finally found it.  It was a pleasant walk though, along the East Coast Park.  One thing that consistently impresses me is how many people are out in the parks even at night just socializing and barbequeing.  I just wish that they would invite us over to sample their food.  

While searching around for the wakeboard park, we stumbled into some sort of Chinese festival.  Hari Raya is the end of Ramadan, so we expected to see Muslims out in force, which they were, but this other festival was not Muslim.  

   What is this festival?!

But any day is a good day for a celebration.  We made it to the wakeboard park and were elated that there were about 6 other people.  21 dollars for an hour of wakeboarding is too good of a deal.  

We had never been on a cable before, but it was not much different than being behind a boat.  It just took a bit of getting used to going around the turns, because if you didn’t maintain your slack it would slingshot you (sometimes out of your boots).  

More soon!

So, our first week in Singapore draws to a close.   When the plans to move became more solid I started envisioning what it would be like to live here in my mind.  I must say that it has already exceeded my expectations and we have been here for SEVEN days.  

After our first weekend of party it was time for that work stuff that I actually came here for.  That sunday was an important one.  The Jaguars were playing the Colts in Indy.  (Dad don’t read this next part) There was absolutely no way I was going to miss this game, even if I was merely watching the stats play out in a little diagram on NFL.com.  I got an early rest and woke up at 430 to catch it.  I sat in bed with my laptop chatting with Alex as the game went on.  We were holding our own.  An 0-3 start would have essentially ended the Jaguars’ season before it even had a chance to begin.  And we were playing our rivals.  

Halftime came and I took a 15 minute nap.  The game could have gone either way.  I was reading about how MJD and Freddy T were essentially annihilating the Colts’ run defense, but I had no clue of just how bad until I caught the video highlights the next day.  Good to see the running game was back.  

I started to get worried when Jack decided to kick a field goal on a 4th and 2 from the goal that would make the score 16 to 10 instead of just letting MJD do his thing and put the game away.  The kick was good.  There was only 2:31 left in the game.  If it was any other team, I would have felt like we were in control and the D would be able to put the stops.  But this was Peyton Manning.  Even if he hasn’t been on his game, situations like this were what he thrived in.  The sun had started to rise.  Alex was iming me, cheering about the FG, but I told her to hold onto her horses.  What I had feared would happen did exactly that.  Manning marched downfield and scored in 83 seconds.  I was shaking so violently that I could barely use the trackpad on the computer.  I paced around the room, sweating.  Our last drive was a team record 12 minutes long.  And we had about a minute to do the exact same thing.  We were going to lose by 1 point after essentially obliterating the Colts in every stat.  I got up 3 hours early before my first day of real work to watch the Jaguars season end.  

Garrard saved the day.  Scobee saved the day.  In a case of amazing and hilarious irony the Colts defense actually shot themselves in the foot and cost them the game.  On a 4th down play, what would have been the last play of the game, Reggie Williams was knocked down in what was essentially a pick play that he made.  Pass interference.  A new set of downs.  It was so ironic because this pick play is one that the Colts essentially designed to do exactly what we had just done to them.  It’s cheap and makes people mad, but it’s a legal play.  It sweet sweet justice to use a bit of their own medicine on them and hear Bill Polian cry about the bad officiating the next day.  With 8 seconds left in the game, it was up to Josh Scobee to kick a 51 yard field goal.  To the uninitiated, that is a very long kick.  And it was clutch.  He misses, the Jaguars season is done.  As Jack put it after the game “He could have made it from 65 yards”.  Thank you Jaguars for taking 5 years off of my life.  I have never felt so much anxiety from watching a little diagram of a football move around on my computer screen.  

He deserved the game ball

outside of our new home.  It’s in a very very nice neighborhood. 

The first day at work 

I can’t actually say much about work.  There are snipers everywhere, every where is bugged, and Lucasfilm Animation is waiting for a reason.  At least 90% of the documents I had to read and sign were all involving confidentiality.  I will write about what I can though!

I didn’t have to worry about getting up in time for work.  I was wide awake, still shaking, when it came time to head in.  My room mate, Kalene got up and we went to wait for a cab.  I asked about Andy, our other roommate who works with us, but she said he never goes in on time.  On the cab ride in I got my first taste of what morning commute in a southeast Asian country is like.  It’s insane!  Motorcycles have no regard for lanes and drive down the lines between cars.  There are broken down pickups driving around with the bed holding 10 or 12 people on their way to construction sites.  Cabs might as well not have turn signals.  Work is not far from where we live and takes about 15 minutes.  I didn’t know what to expect from the building that Lucas is in, but its very modern.  After a lot of orientation (I can’t even talk about what went on in orientation) It was time to go meet my co workers.  In the training department, there are six of us.  I am a documentation specialist.  Everyone that I was introduced to got extremely excited when they found out what I actually did.  The common response was “You’re a documentation guy?  You’re writing the FAQs and whatnot?  Man I have so much work for you to do!” and they would get all giddy as they walked away.  That’s what I was brought on board to do.  Document!  And document I shall!  It’s not exactly what I went to school to do, but it’s that proverbial “foot-in-the-door”.  Everyone I met also exclaimed “wow this is your first job right out of school?!” after learning that I had graduated a mere 4 months ago.  That made me feel good.  Most of the first day was spent just getting acquainted with the office.  As I walked through the halls I saw some pretty awesome stuff.  Again, my lips are sealed, but I have been begging Tad already to give me a chance to do some work on an actual production.  Even if was something menial it would have completely justified the trip out here.  After work Brett and I met up at the mall by our train station for some dinner.  

All of the books I read about on Singapore consistently mention that Singapore as a food lover’s paradise.  It’s beyond anything I could have imagined.  Singapore is unique in this area as there are 3 distinct ethnic groups.  Its like an Asian NYC in terms of mixing of cultures.  You have Malaysians, Chinese, and Indian as the three main groups, with a healthy sprinkling of Japanese and Europeans.  The vast majority of Caucasians here are from Australia, South Africa, or the UK.  

But because of this mixing of three very different ethnicities we all get the benefit of having access to a wide variety of delicious food.  And I think I said it already, but food is CHEAP!  I will probably not be able to eat anything in the States anymore without a copious dosing of chilipaste.  Chili paste is like ketchup here.  They have it at McDonald’s and Burger King and all the fast food even (a whopper with Chili paste is quite delicious).  The best place to eat are the hawker markets which is essentially an asian food court.  They are in all the malls (and there are a lot of malls).  And you can order just about any type of asian food dish you could imagine and a whole lot you probably have never heard of.  The only thing is that sometimes the food is a bit heavy or can just be too much.  As an American, sometimes I just need a burger and not curry chicken.  

Brett enjoying the local fare 

By our house is a fantastic park.  One benefit of the government having a very intimate interaction with the country is that they can plan social programs and carry them out to complete satisfaction.  Everything is designed.  Parks are placed all around the city and kept up very well.  I am pretty sure that around the entire coast of the island is just parks.  You can see Malaysia right across from Pasir Ris park, right by our house.  

While eating lunch with my Co-workers on Wednesday, Tad took us all to a seafood restaurant that was along the southern coast.  The sight out the window was pretty mindblowing.  Singapore is the third largest port in the world and it really showed.  There were literally hundreds if not thousands of massive container ships coming in or going out to the world.  It was an amazing sight, the landscaped beach park with its palm trees and crystal blue water and just out in the water were all of those boats.  I am working on getting a panorama of it taken because the description doesn’t do much justice.  Anyone who has read “Snow Crash” by Neal Stephenson should get a good idea of what the “raft” would look like in real life. 

The area we live in is called Pasir Ris and at the eastern most end of the island.  It was developed mainly for families and it shows.  I am pretty sure we already have a reputation in the area.  Unlike the rest of Singapore, its all homes here.  And they are all very cool.  Most have a wide opening front door that essentially pulls back and makes the downstairs blend with the front porch.  Almost everyone has a fountain or waterfall and people here LOVE their potted plants.  The walk back from work is quite pleasant.  Families are all eating together and watching tv or just generally playing around.  

enjoying the local park

I’ve yet to see much of the local wild life judging by the sounds that I hear in the morning and at night.  The only place you’d hear anything like these animals would be at a Zoo in the States.  Andy, our roommate, says the last time his family was in town they were walking through the neighborhood and crossed paths with a Boa Constrictor.  There are free roaming chickens walking around casually.  There are the fabled monkeys in the park.  My favorite discovery though is that the bird life consists of Parrots and other tropical avians.  Shake a tree and a rainbow of movement will flutter out and into another tree, away from your bother.  

Before leaving for Singapore everyone kept telling me about all the regulations and fines and caning that takes place.  I was kind of daunted at first.  But one thing that stands out even just when strolling around is there is litter EVERYWHERE.  For all the talk about how there’s a 1000 dollar fine for littering (there is) I was expecting a slightly more spotless environment.  It’s not any more dirty than any other major city, but it’s not litter free by any standard.  

one of brett and I’s favorite things so far is the “green man”

Another thing that people told me about was all of the propaganda that is everywhere.  The funniest one I have seen was a huge billboard on the side of a building that said “Ex-Offenders have to face a second sentence: OUR PREJUDICE”.  I don’t quite get what it was about…perhap trying to scare people into not committing crime in the first place because then everyone will hate you…or something.  All the other government signage is, for the most part, about fighting Dengue fever and other health things.  Hardly intimidating, and actually something that should be addressed when you live in a tropical environment.  Other signs for the most part are simple things telling people to be happy and stuff.  Again, not intimidating, but just not something I am really used to seeing.  

Brett and I established our nightly routine of meeting at the mall by the train station after I get off of work to grab dinner.  The weather is hellaciously hot during the day, or its pouring rain.  Two things I am fairly used to after living in Florida.  The last few nights though were actually extremely nice out.  On friday we had our monthlies, basically our monthly review at work.  After work everyone goes to a bar that the Company rents out and gets really drunk.  After the party we went back to what is officially the “Hot Dudes Box”  and continued the party there.

Saturday night, however, was ground breaking.  It was my first trip into the Orchard, which is downtown Singapore.  Just like the parks, everything is planned and kept up.  There are a lot more foreigners and tourists here and I can understand why.  It was packed.  The F1 race in Singapore was this weekend, and I felt bad that I couldn’t go.  We still reaped the benefits of there being a massive event in town though.  We all went to a club called Zouk which was having an F1 themed party.  There was an F1 car parked outside and all the staff was in racing themed attire and as you walked down the main hallway there were F1 sounds that would race around.  Carl Cox was playing.  Carl Cox is a top tier DJ and to see him just by chance was an incredible experience.  Solarstone last week was nice, but this was another level.  And, in keeping with what has become a tradition since Tokyo, I gave him a high five.  Again we crowd surfed Safrie, and again we probably got the attention of everyone for all the wrong reasons.  But there’s no such thing as bad publicity as Pop John once told me.  

We left the club as it closed and got home as the sun was rising.  I think in the past 2 weeks we’ve seen the sun come up as often as we’ve been asleep for it.  Brett, Andy, Nis (I apologize I don’t know how to spell it yet) and I sat on the front porch and had a last beer as roosters crowed in the distance and the rest of the world got ready for their days.  It was a spectacular first week in every aspect.  Work is incredible if not for anything more than the people I work with.  My new room mates are quickly on track to become some of my best friends.  Brett and I’s plan for becoming notorious in Singapore is well under way.  

It was a lot simpler to get through Singapore customs than I thought.  We didnt get strip searched or anything like what people had been warning us about.  In fact the only thing that seemed the slightest forboding were the armed “guards” standing at the gate to intimidate us.  Compulsory Service means at some point, you will be standing in the airport trying to look tough.  Even if you’re 5′5″ 120.  Brett put it best when he said “Singapore: the only place where I can beat up the entire military”.  

Our new roommate, Kalene, was waiting for us to take us to what would be our home for the next 6 months.  The ride to our place was quite beautiful and was a good way to prepare for the climate.  The road is lined with exotic flowering trees.  Mangroves are everywhere.  

So after dropping off our bags at our new house we walked with Kalene, down to Pasir Ris park, a block away.  This is a huge park with bike paths, palm trees, concert shells, restaurants, watersports and MONKEYS.  Did I mention we live in a jungle?  there are native monkeys that reside in the park.  I didn’t see any but my goal is to find one and tape knives to its hands.  We sat down and the word that we had arrived must have gotten out because there were bands and djs and people all over the place partying.  When we sat down we got our first lesson in Singapore: alcohol costs more than gold.  A beer will run you anywhere from 7 to 11 dollars.  Even from a quickmart.  The cheapest mixed drinks youll find in bars are at least 15 dollars.  A bottle (a small one) of Jack Daniels was 112 dollars.  Luckily at the same time we got our second lesson: food is as cheap as air.  And its all amazingly delicious.  But more on that later.

After dinner we headed back home where we were contacted by my former room mate and one of my best friends, Safrie, who had been living here in Singapore for about 3 months.  He wanted to take us out on the town and show us what the nightlife is like.  Nary 16 hours earlier we were just leaving a club in Japan.  We had only been in Singapore for 4 hours.  We had gotten maybe 2 hours of decent sleep in the past 36 hours. But it was time to go party more.  

We were to meet Safrie at Clark Quay.  We tried cabs, asking for clarks “kay”. 3 cab drivers had no idea what we were talking about.  We finally got one that understood a bit more english and he said “oh you mean clark KEY”.  That one syllable is a huge deal apparently.  15 minutes later we were in probably the most baller area I’ve been in in a long time.  It’s downtown Singapore, on the river.  Its all pedestrianized and lit up and neon and there are people everywhere.  There are also about 50 clubs in a 1 mile radius.  We met up with Safrie and we did what will most likely become standard procedure: went to the 7/11 to get some beers before going into the bar and paying even more rediculous prices.  We went to one club full of foreigners. Wasn’t really our scene.  There were a lot of white people in Clark Quay.  But almost none are Americans (its very obvious) most are South African, British, or Australian.  

From there we moved onto the one place I had really wanted to go since learning it existed: Ministry of Sound.  Although I must admit I didn’t think I would be showing up as soon as we did.  Ministry of Sound is one of the biggest labels in electronic music and this was one of their official clubs.  And that night DJ Solarstone was playing.  I listen to Solarstone on a regular basis on the XM radio (he has a weekly show) so this just blew me away.  Initially I was like “brett maybe we should go sleep we’ve gotten more then our fair share of partying in the last few days.”  Then I saw the sign advertising the show and was waiting inside for everyone else.  The club was huge.  2 stories, several different rooms and very expansive.  The disco room was a big hit, btu nothing could compare to the main room with Solarstone.  Of course the night ended with everyone staring at our group of people wondering (im sure) how in the world they could ever be as cool as us.  We were crowd surfing safrie.  we were causing the platform we were on to shake violently.  Solarstone pointed at me.  I wouldn’t say that we own the city (and whole country I guess) yet, but we made a dent in the amount of work that would have to be done to do so in the first 8 hours of being in the country.  

  see those drinks on the table?  you could buy a small island for the same amount. 

We grabbed a cab back to the house and got into bed for the first time in our new lives.  Work was starting on monday.  It was a good way to spend the last days of my college life.  

So we were leaving Atom after our intense night of partying.  We were going to go home and take a nice nap before getting on the plane to Singapore.  The trains in tokyo, like I said, stop running from 1-5 so we were going to take a cab back since it was only 3, right? WRONG.  it was 5am and the sun was coming up.  At least we didn’t have to pay for a cab.  

We got back around 545, plenty of time to finish packing and get ready to make it to Shinjuku for the 8:03 am train. Im sure Bil was glad to have us out of his room so he could actually breathe.  Brett and I had our absurdly heavy bags with us and we were walking, exhausted, across Tokyo, on and off 3 trains just to make it to Shinjuku.  There are a lot of flights of stairs to go up and down and lots of gaps to mind getting on and off trains.  I think I pulled every muscle in my body.  

We made it to Shinjuku and literally missed the train by a minute.  The next direct train to Narita didn’t leave from Shinjuku until 939, which would have gotten us to Narita at about 1045.  Our plane left at 1115.  That wasnt’ going to cut it.  Our day was saved when the ticket man told us of another route through Tokyo station that would get us on a train to Narita headed out at 9am.  It was our only chance.  If we missed that train we would be staying with Bil for the next indeterminate amount of time.  

But the Gods smiled upon us.  For at least the time being.  We made it to the Narita Express and were relieved to just be able to sit down.  But our bodies were so drained that we passed out pretty much within 5 minutes of sitting down.  I awoke to Brett frantically tugging at my shoulder to get up.  I looked out the window and we were at Narita.  But there were 2 stops.  Was this the right one to get off on?  We mentally flipped a coin and ran off the train with our luggage.  Luckily we were right and got the right stop.  Unluckily we had lost our tickets to get off.  I had given the train tickets to Brett to hold onto while the ticket collector was coming around and in our frenzy of running off the train they had fallen somewhere.   Brett ran to the man at the turnstyle and explained our situation.  He calmly pointed to some other guy on the other side.  We ran to him and explained our situation again.  He said “okay” and just let us by.  Brett and I weren’t sure what was going on but we weren’t about to stick around to find out.  Apparently you don’t need to buy train tickets in Japan.  Just look confused and they’ll let you go anywhere.  We made it to the plane just fine.  

Part 3 of the day will continue soon!

day 4

The fourth day of was a continuation of us adjusting to the time differences.  This time instead of waking up at 5 am as if it was noon, we actually woke up at noon and expected it to be noon.  It was pouring rain outside.  After getting a slow start we decided to go to the Akibahara district for our destination of the day.  We took the train along the Yamanote line, which is the central circle in Toyko.  It took a while since we decided to go to Shinjuku station to check on our ability to purchase tickets for the Narita Express train back to the airport for the next morning.  Apparently you could only buy the ticket the day of.  We ended up essentially doing the entire Yamanote circle to get to Akibahara.  

 Akibahara is a “nerds paradise” as I’ve seen it described in several publications.  The first thing you see when stepping off of the train is a monolithic department store that makes your local Walmart look like a mom and pop store.  Inside is everything you could ever need to buy ever.  You could live inside the store and never have to leave.  We spent probably an hour and a half just inside browsing their impressive Gundam Model collection.  It was extremely difficult to resist buying a model to take to Singapore and build.  But I remained steadfast.  The thing that bothered me most about Akibahara was the abundance of Americans who were the big Japan-o-phile types.  It was obvious as to why they flock to the area and I have to admit that we were essentially in the area for the exact same reasons that they were.  Except we are better than them.

  After leaving the store we strolled through the streets.  Every building is an electronics store or an arcade and every business employs at least 3 people to stand outside with megaphones barking today’s deals at you as you walk by.  I think it’s the case where one person had an idea that worked, and then everyone copied it.  The sanity of passer-bys would never be the same.  We ate in another Japanese restaurant called Mos Burger.  They were advertising a “southern style” chicken sandwich that I simply had to sample.  It was decent but it was no Tandoori Chicken Sandwich.  

 While eating the sandwich I started to have a revelation of just how much Japanese culture revolves around American culture.  This sandwich was analogous to any fried chicken sandwich you could get at a mcdonalds or burger king or whatever in the states.  But the whole concept of the fried-chicken-hey-yall-collard-greens south is something that is genuinely American and unless you were a Japanese person who lived in the states for some time the concept of a southern style sandwich (IE fried with mayonaise and possessing other very un-japanese traits) would completely elude you.   This type of stuff is all over Japan. 

  We got back to Bil’s around 8:30, later than the past three days.  We changed and had several beers to prepare for what needed to be a most baller night to ensure the fact that we did, in fact, own Tokyo.  Earlier in the week we had gotten some discount tickets to a club called “Atom” back in the Shibuya area.  And after basically paying 30 bucks for Club Asia to let us take a nap, we weren’t about to go back there.   So Atom it was.  And a wise choice it was.

  We arrived and waited patiently in line so the fake Nigerian rappers could pat us down for the guns that no one in Japan has.  When we got inside I could immediately tell that it was going to be a good night.  Atom has 3 floors that play different Genres of music.  The top floor played hip hop that was popular in the States 2 years ago.  Middle floor plays intense techno.  And I don’t quite recall what the bottom floor was all about.  The bars in Atom, like every other bar in Tokyo charge a fairly high price (nothing compared to Singapore; more on that tomorrow) and pour the weakest drinks ever.  you might as well buy a 10 dollar glass of orange juice…it will get you way more drunk.  Or a bottle of mouthwash.  

  The banging techno room was my room of choice.  I quickly made my way to the front of the room to where the DJ was.  Soon Bil joined me while Brett remained upstairs for the first bit.  Describing crazed dancing through text is rather pointless.  It’s something you have to be part of to understand.  Needless to say that we left with Bil, Brett and I giving high-fives and hugs to lots of random Japanese people who were all saying that they hoped to see us again soon in broken english.  We owned the city.  

The start of this night is essentially where the start of one of the most intense 24 hours of my life takes place. We went out at 830 to a club and basically went nuts.  We were on vacation.  I was about to start this “career” thing.  

tune back in tomorrow for the second half of the day