These two clips were too good not to share.
First, Chuck Norris endorses Mike Huckabee (it's hysterical cause it's real):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDUQW8LUMs8
Next, something that makes me proud to be involved in Singapore media. It's by the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA), and it's called the MDA Senior Management Rap. It was actually part of their annual report -- now it's their legacy. Got picked up by international media and YouTube, obviously. Would have loved to sit in on the planning session for this; I bet the interns were mortified.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjLw28UVWEU
Yes yes y'all, we don't stop, get creative, can do, rock on!
Friday, November 30, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
UDON stands for...
Ask anyone what there is to do in Singapore, and 99 percent of them will say eat and shop. The other 1 percent is the occasional bitter cabbie who'll say: "Singapore is the most boring city in the world. Same damn shit every day." To be honest, though, when the food's as good (and cheap!) as it is here, it's hard not to focus on its merits. I mean, I know you can find Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Indian food on the same street in New York City, but when a big meal costs SGD$3 ($4 for the expensive variety, or about US $2-$3) NY can sit down and suck its multicultural thumb.
Pineapple rice. Pad thai. Japanese curry. Teriyaki. Yaki udon. The udon!
I love udon -- my love is kind of like this poster at Uma Uma, a Japanese restaurant downtown that has a conveyor belt of sushi. Little disturbed by the "never eat another again" line, though. Another what/who?
I'm also amazed by how little my stomach has hurt since I got to Singapore -- this coming from the girl who had stomach problems or acid reflux for the good part of the last decade. Only thing that's given me trouble was the McDonald's on my second day. It was more a desperation meal -- jetlagged to the point of immobility, starving, and they deliver here! That in itself is a cultural experience. But it felt like I got Montezuma's Revenge...McDonald's Revenge. Something like that.
I eat most of my meals at hawker centres (British spelling alert!) near work or home. They're basically open-air food courts where you can get lunch and dinner, plus fresh fruit juice and fruit all the time. Lime juice is the new water. Dessert can be a slab of ice cream in between two wafers, sold by ice cream vendors along the street. When I crave Western food, I hit the grocery store, which sells everything I miss, plus my favorite Aussie snacks like Shapes (crackers, pizza flavour) and Tim Tams (the kind of cookies that make me yelp out loud when I see them for sale, like a kid who sees Sunny D in the fridge. Got made fun of for that one).
Now I'm actually hungry. Forget this.
Pineapple rice. Pad thai. Japanese curry. Teriyaki. Yaki udon. The udon!
I love udon -- my love is kind of like this poster at Uma Uma, a Japanese restaurant downtown that has a conveyor belt of sushi. Little disturbed by the "never eat another again" line, though. Another what/who?
I'm also amazed by how little my stomach has hurt since I got to Singapore -- this coming from the girl who had stomach problems or acid reflux for the good part of the last decade. Only thing that's given me trouble was the McDonald's on my second day. It was more a desperation meal -- jetlagged to the point of immobility, starving, and they deliver here! That in itself is a cultural experience. But it felt like I got Montezuma's Revenge...McDonald's Revenge. Something like that.
I eat most of my meals at hawker centres (British spelling alert!) near work or home. They're basically open-air food courts where you can get lunch and dinner, plus fresh fruit juice and fruit all the time. Lime juice is the new water. Dessert can be a slab of ice cream in between two wafers, sold by ice cream vendors along the street. When I crave Western food, I hit the grocery store, which sells everything I miss, plus my favorite Aussie snacks like Shapes (crackers, pizza flavour) and Tim Tams (the kind of cookies that make me yelp out loud when I see them for sale, like a kid who sees Sunny D in the fridge. Got made fun of for that one).
Now I'm actually hungry. Forget this.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Happiness is a well-groomed rat's tail
Good news at my end -- I will not be getting kicked out of the country anytime soon (not if I can help it). Before coming to Singapore, my biggest concern was securing an employment pass. Without it, I'd have a 90-day travel visa window to look for full-time work. No pressure. None at all.
Here's the best part -- not only do I now have a job, but it's one I'm pumped about. I'm the new deputy editor of Time Out Singapore! They had an opening at the same time I came looking for work; even my boss referenced fate. I start on Monday with a commitment through November 2008. You can check out what we're doing with the link in the post below. I also just wrote a story about finding organic food in Singapore, which is kind of tricky since it's easier to find McDonald's than local agriculture on this island, but it's in the January issue.
When I found out I got the job, I rejoiced:
So obviously that's not me, but I was definitely as happy as this awesome Singaporean boy with the best rat's tail I've ever seen -- all the way down his neck. Sadly, I don't have a picture of that, but Greg does -- I'll try to steal it. This is at Sentosa, one of about 63 islands that are part of Singapore. It's just off the south coast. Siloso Beach on Sentosa, where this boy's frolicking, is known for its beach parties and a yearly concert/rave called ZoukOut that draws 20,000 people, going from about 8pm till 8 am. A bunch of us are going this year -- I'm curious to see how a country known for banning chewing gum likes to party.
Caught a glimpse of Singapore's punk scene when Greg and I went to Sentosa for our one-year anniversary. This guy's head tattoo is up there with the rat's tail that you can't see.
Also interesting about Sentosa are its beautiful water, palm trees, white sandy beaches -- and then the looming tankers off the coast. Locals recommend visiting the beach at night to keep up the illusion of a secret paradise. Otherwise, you see this.
Not that I'm complaining. Greg and I had a great time there, hanging out at a bar called Cafe del Mar where you order drinks and food from beds on the beach overlooking the water. Rough life I lead.
I have some time off before I start work, so I'm making a commitment to blog once a day for a week. Then maybe I'll be caught up. Until then, I hope the little Singaporean boy's happiness tides you over.
Here's the best part -- not only do I now have a job, but it's one I'm pumped about. I'm the new deputy editor of Time Out Singapore! They had an opening at the same time I came looking for work; even my boss referenced fate. I start on Monday with a commitment through November 2008. You can check out what we're doing with the link in the post below. I also just wrote a story about finding organic food in Singapore, which is kind of tricky since it's easier to find McDonald's than local agriculture on this island, but it's in the January issue.
When I found out I got the job, I rejoiced:
So obviously that's not me, but I was definitely as happy as this awesome Singaporean boy with the best rat's tail I've ever seen -- all the way down his neck. Sadly, I don't have a picture of that, but Greg does -- I'll try to steal it. This is at Sentosa, one of about 63 islands that are part of Singapore. It's just off the south coast. Siloso Beach on Sentosa, where this boy's frolicking, is known for its beach parties and a yearly concert/rave called ZoukOut that draws 20,000 people, going from about 8pm till 8 am. A bunch of us are going this year -- I'm curious to see how a country known for banning chewing gum likes to party.
Caught a glimpse of Singapore's punk scene when Greg and I went to Sentosa for our one-year anniversary. This guy's head tattoo is up there with the rat's tail that you can't see.
Also interesting about Sentosa are its beautiful water, palm trees, white sandy beaches -- and then the looming tankers off the coast. Locals recommend visiting the beach at night to keep up the illusion of a secret paradise. Otherwise, you see this.
Not that I'm complaining. Greg and I had a great time there, hanging out at a bar called Cafe del Mar where you order drinks and food from beds on the beach overlooking the water. Rough life I lead.
I have some time off before I start work, so I'm making a commitment to blog once a day for a week. Then maybe I'll be caught up. Until then, I hope the little Singaporean boy's happiness tides you over.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Oops
Judging by the emails I've gotten, I neglected to mention to some people that I was going to Singapore, and also "why the hell I'm here." So here's a quick fun fact list for anyone who's lost:
1. My boyfriend Greg has a one-year teaching gig in Singapore, which started in October. I decided to come out, too. Here we are, for those who are even further behind and didn't know I was dating anyone (and if you're one of those people, we should probably chat at some point. Just sayin').
I think that's a pic of us at the Bronx Zoo this summer, in between the polar bear and tiger zones, my two favorite animals indigenous to New York. Only complaint was the polar bear was not as cute as Knut:
2. I was at a transition point in my career, left work at Metro in Manhattan and my apartment in Brooklyn and got freelance copy editing work to start out at Time Out Singapore (www.timeoutsingapore.com).
3. I got an apartment with two Princeton alums, Mark '03 and Darren '02 (no last names in this blog, lo siento), who are a local celebrity and owner of a voodoo doll business, respectively. More on that later.
4. Singapore is a city-state just south of Malaysia -- in its lip, more or less (I tell you this because I thought it was part of China before I left. I blame American primary school education). It's about the size of Chicago, English is the language of business/school/government, but there are four main ethnic groups: Chinese, Malaysian, Indian and Eurasian (mix of Europeans and ex-pats). It's known as the Lion City, and has this sick Merlion statue that all tourists take this obligatory picture with:
And I'll be here for about a year. Any other questions? No? Good.
Happy Thanksgiving. Go eat. :)
1. My boyfriend Greg has a one-year teaching gig in Singapore, which started in October. I decided to come out, too. Here we are, for those who are even further behind and didn't know I was dating anyone (and if you're one of those people, we should probably chat at some point. Just sayin').
I think that's a pic of us at the Bronx Zoo this summer, in between the polar bear and tiger zones, my two favorite animals indigenous to New York. Only complaint was the polar bear was not as cute as Knut:
2. I was at a transition point in my career, left work at Metro in Manhattan and my apartment in Brooklyn and got freelance copy editing work to start out at Time Out Singapore (www.timeoutsingapore.com).
3. I got an apartment with two Princeton alums, Mark '03 and Darren '02 (no last names in this blog, lo siento), who are a local celebrity and owner of a voodoo doll business, respectively. More on that later.
4. Singapore is a city-state just south of Malaysia -- in its lip, more or less (I tell you this because I thought it was part of China before I left. I blame American primary school education). It's about the size of Chicago, English is the language of business/school/government, but there are four main ethnic groups: Chinese, Malaysian, Indian and Eurasian (mix of Europeans and ex-pats). It's known as the Lion City, and has this sick Merlion statue that all tourists take this obligatory picture with:
And I'll be here for about a year. Any other questions? No? Good.
Happy Thanksgiving. Go eat. :)
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Day 1...
…was technically 18 days ago. I’m a little behind on the blogging front, but now I can write with some perspective instead of subjecting everyone to thoughts like “There’s so many trees here!” or “It’s hot” or “Chopsticks give me splinters in my mouth.”
I left Newark International at 11 pm on Wed, Oct. 31¬ on a nonstop flight way up and east, over Europe, the Middle East, Russia and China. Eighteen hours and many, many movies later, I landed at Changi Airport in Singapore at 5:45 am Friday, Nov. 2. It always blows my mind when I lose a day – makes me wonder what would have happened that day if I were on the ground.
While I was in the air, I got to enjoy the deluxe accommodations of Singapore Airlines, rated the best airline in the world (I think, according to other people and not just them, although Singapore does market itself very well). Since it was Halloween, I checked my bags with a guy dressed as a pirate -- Capt. Jack Sparrow, apparently, with long polyester dreadlocks that kept getting caught in the sticky on everyone’s baggage tags. A vampire wench with fake teeth checked my passport, and a slew of beautiful flight attendants in batik dresses (normal wear, not costume) walked up and down the aisles turning on overhead lights as soon as they saw anyone take out anything resembling reading material. Nope, you don’t even have to lift your arm on Singapore Air!
I’d read in a magazine before I left that a business class ticket on Singapore Air from Newark to Singa can cost $8,000 and they feed you caviar and pour Dom the whole way. In economy class, they give you personal cups of Ben & Jerry’s. Cookie Dough. Screw caviar. There’s plenty to keep you busy, with 80+ movies to choose from. I learned that “Transformers” is not that good when it’s on an 8”x11” screen at 5 am, and “I Now Pronounce you Chuck and Larry” is much funnier in Chinese.
Best part of the flight is the end ¬– the first thing you see when disembarking is a giant sign reading:
“WELCOME YOU!”
Welcome indeed.
I left Newark International at 11 pm on Wed, Oct. 31¬ on a nonstop flight way up and east, over Europe, the Middle East, Russia and China. Eighteen hours and many, many movies later, I landed at Changi Airport in Singapore at 5:45 am Friday, Nov. 2. It always blows my mind when I lose a day – makes me wonder what would have happened that day if I were on the ground.
While I was in the air, I got to enjoy the deluxe accommodations of Singapore Airlines, rated the best airline in the world (I think, according to other people and not just them, although Singapore does market itself very well). Since it was Halloween, I checked my bags with a guy dressed as a pirate -- Capt. Jack Sparrow, apparently, with long polyester dreadlocks that kept getting caught in the sticky on everyone’s baggage tags. A vampire wench with fake teeth checked my passport, and a slew of beautiful flight attendants in batik dresses (normal wear, not costume) walked up and down the aisles turning on overhead lights as soon as they saw anyone take out anything resembling reading material. Nope, you don’t even have to lift your arm on Singapore Air!
I’d read in a magazine before I left that a business class ticket on Singapore Air from Newark to Singa can cost $8,000 and they feed you caviar and pour Dom the whole way. In economy class, they give you personal cups of Ben & Jerry’s. Cookie Dough. Screw caviar. There’s plenty to keep you busy, with 80+ movies to choose from. I learned that “Transformers” is not that good when it’s on an 8”x11” screen at 5 am, and “I Now Pronounce you Chuck and Larry” is much funnier in Chinese.
Best part of the flight is the end ¬– the first thing you see when disembarking is a giant sign reading:
“WELCOME YOU!”
Welcome indeed.
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