Putting the city to music

Last night Paul and I went to see Julian sing. When she's not being a Customer Account star, she's a singing star.

We made it out of the hotel around 9pm and were faced with a huge queue for taxis. Being the antsy Americans we couldn't wait, so instead called a cab - $1 more, but so worth it.

At the lounge where Julian was singing, Paul made the mistake of letting me order the food. I couldn't figure out what half of the things on the bar menu were so I asked what the local favorites were and proceeded to order all three. Just over 30minutes later, we see a delivery boy coming in carrying boxes of food ... odd. At first I thought the staff must be sick of what they served and were eating out themselves, but no - it was our dinner. When the plates were put in front of us, two looked like Trader Joes special sets, and one was just gruesome. Sea-snails. I gusted up and tried a few of the snails - they tasted like foot so I quickly ditched this attempt at trying new things.

Schooled

No, I'm not going to start speaking K-Fed language - I'd get laughed out of the country. As it's time to go back to school for all those I'm so envious of ("those" being young adults and little people who get to enjoy breaks and holidays), I think it's only fitting I write on schoolisms.

Last night while bowling, one of my team-mates was telling me about his kids. His 9-year old son is on a diet. What does this have to do with school you may be thinking - lots! In Singapore, if the school thinks a child is too chubby they put them on a diet. It's thought that one can't think as clearly if they're on the larger end of the spectrum.

At lunch today education was the predominant topic of discussion - alright, I admit it, I brought it up. It was interesting hearing generalizations about schooling around the world. In Singapore, Simon mused, schooling is all about "social modifying." Schooling is very regimented and children are taught to tests instead of being taught to ask questions.

San went to school in Burma where he was hardly able to pass classes because the grading was so strict (on Burmese and on the curvature of writing - no joke). San wound up moving to Singapore for primer and then the UK for college.

Chris grew up in Australia where he thinks schooling is a good balance but still has some to be desired.

Because I don't want to make enemies, I'll refrain from commenting on US schooling :)

Bowled over

Last night after work I went with a group of people from TIBCO and Citibank for a bowling night out. In the ally you feel like the world truly is flat - it's the same as anywhere else in the world. Cheap beer, loud music, games to win stuffed animals you don't really want, and hooting people trying to look rad while unleashing an 11lb ball down an ally. Gotta love it.

Although I bowled a 50 (no, there's no digit missing on the front of that), my team came in 2nd! Turns out one of the players used to be sponsored - he had a score of 207. I told him it must've been TIBCO (software so good you have time to bowl all day instead of worrying about work). I know, I just went running past my no-work writing rule. It's a one-off.

Maybe the world really is flat...heh, only a "pin" head would think that!

Placed

I'm starting to feel a bit like I'm in Dolly Parton's movie Nine to Five. My office is in a bank building that houses a bank, a law office, and our office here in Singapore, so it's always interesting riding up in the elevator with all the bankers and lawyers and their clients. Elevators in Singapore are an entire ism unto themselves but I'll save that for another entry.

Riding down to the rainy streets for lunch this afternoon, I shared the elevator with two men and two woman. The men nodded and shook hands and then, as if it were scripted, introduced their secretaries. They each did it in the same manner, too, which was funny, "This is my secretary XYZ," one would say and the other would nod, smile, shake the secretaries hand, and proceed to introduce his secretary.

On floor 24 a woman got into the elevator and one of the men looked up. "Ah, Gina, how are you? How is your boss?" Gina nodded, smiled, and said, "Great." Then, man 1 turned to man 2 and explained who Gina worked for and that she too was a secretary. "Gina?" "Yes?" "Where is your bosses old secretary?"

I'm telling you, it's a secretary world. In the US I think that word has just gone out of style and people now say Assistant or Executive Assistant. For male assistants they say Helper.

When the elevator made it to the bottom floor, the women scooted out in front of their bosses, each holding a notepad and an umbrella.

I think I'm making this sound more sexist or harsh than it is - everyone seemed quite happy and content. Just an interesting observation.

And yes, it was a very long elevator ride - 36 floors down stopping on nearly every floor.

Poshism

After work I couldn't catch a taxi so I walked home. By the time I arrived at the hotel I was ready for an ice bath and a nap - done. Instead, I met up with some co-workers downstairs and we decided to head back out for dinner. Even at 8pm it was boiling out.

We walked around the water and past four or five malls to the waters edge. Then, spotting one of the colonial barges-converted-to-diners on the water we decided to posh it up a bit. At the hostess bar, the hostess looked at us with confusion at first. We asked if it was OK to go in dressed in jeans and she nodded, then pointed to one of my co-workers and said, "he'll just have to sit in the corner." ("He" was in shorts).

Eye contact isn't always great

Last night Paul, Al, and I went out to dinner in Boat Quay. I took a taxi to meet Paul and Al because they had been with a customer all afternoon (another reason I couldn't do sales - you have to be on call and work on Sundays - oofa). The taxi dropped me about 4 blocks from Boat Quay - I think because people don't tip here the concept of above and beyond is lost on people.

We wound up going to dinner at a fish restaurant where everything was fresh (I knew this because I could see many of the menu offerings in a tank just outside the restaurant). We all ordered fish, of course, and when I placed my order I asked what was the freshest.

My fish came with the head and tail still on, mouth opened toward the sky. For some reason looking my dinner in the eye is just not appetising.

Four seasons

Yesterday I pampered myself and enjoyed a facial. It was funny, the facialist was touting their great "American made" products - in the US I feel like facialists are always saying what great Asian or European products they use. As long as it's from somewhere else it must be good I guess.

At the start of the facial, just as I was dozing off, the facialist asked: "You from USA? Yes?" "Yes," I replied. After a few minutes of cooing about how great that was she said, "Do you have 4 seasons?" It took me a minute but then I realized, being on the equator Singapore has 1 season - hot/rain. "Yes," I replied again and went into describing how CA's seasons (SF specifically) are different than other parts of the US.

I can't imagine 90 degree rain year round. I love it now, but can't imagine...