When it rains here, it rains. Hard. I’ve never really seen anything like it. Over the course of an hour a blue sky turns to dark grey and the rain dumps down. Often somewhere between 30 minutes to an hour. Then, they sky goes back to being blue.
During this, even a short sprint (maybe from taxi to your building) in the rain will soak you, but at least the water is somewhat warm.
Singapore Rain - Five Seconds & Soaked Shirt
I attended the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix race tonight… it was the world’s first F1 night race. I expected to have an okay time, but my expectations were easily exceeded. Even after watching 61 laps I still found myself amazed at the raw speed. And the sound was almost deafening. Thank goodness for earplugs.
Overall, a big step-up from the Montana demolition derby. Previously, I believe that was the extent of my car racing attendance.
Plus, I liked the event even more because I was invited to one of the corporate suites. It was nice to take occasional breaks to grab a snack or enjoy the air conditioning since the weather provided ample heat and humidity.
Oh ya… a Spanish driver named Fernando Alonso won. Everyone at the event look at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears for not knowing who he was. I guess it’s like being in the US and not knowing who Joe Montana is.
Intel BMW F1 Car
Group in Our Corporate Suite
Blurry Pic: Brought the Wrong Lens
Oops: I'm Sure It'll Buff Right Out
I’m starting to settle in to Singapore. Just starting. It’s an “easy” city to live in once you start to know your way around. And I’m really liking the area where I’m staying. It’s far enough away from the center of the city to have a somewhat residential feel, yet close enough to be convenient. From the MRT (subway) I’m just 2 stops away from the action on Orchard Road.
Plus, I love the view, especially on a clear, sunny day.
Singapore City View from Apartment
On Tuesday, I decided it was time to get a custom, tailor made suit. So, I spent a bit of time looking around a few shops on Orchard Road, near my office, and after about 45 minutes I finally decided on a tailor… but, I still had no idea if I picked the best one. Each store owner presented their sales pitch to me and after a few stops they all started to blend together and the entire experience reminded me of shopping for a used car. Is the transmission going to blow-up? Does it really get 30mpg? Really, never in an accident? Well, those questions turned to… is this really Cashmere blended fabric? Do I really care about whatever you said about the lining? Will the suit really be ready in two days?
I decided to try it anyway. There were shelves upon shelves of fabric to choose from and I settled on a very dark blue (almost looks black) color. Next I chose a suit style from a myriad of patterns.
Now came the fun part. Agreeing on a price. The tailor’s first quote almost made me laugh and I may have let out a little chuckle, especially since I had already read-up on what a fair price should be. So, I threw back an offer about 75% less than she requested and she feigned to be shocked and insulted, but she quickly managed to type another price on her calculator and show it to me. Still too high. This went on for about five more minutes and I started to get tired of it. So, I came back with a price of about $25 higher than my original offer and said it was final. She tried to negotiate some more, so I stood up and informed her I was going to the store across the street. And, almost like magic she seemed to agree I had presented a reasonable price.
With all that finished, she took precise measurements and told me to come back in two days.
New Suit
Orchard Road Tailor & Me
I worked late tonight and decided to grab a quick bite at the food center nearby. I wasn’t dissapointed. For about $4 (US) I was given a serving of rice with chicken curry. Also got some great beans along with two bonus cups of different curry. And it was all served on a big banana leaf. Way good.
I went to Din Tai Fung for dinner tonight with the Taiwan marketing team. This place is famous for their “steamed dumplings”… I was told the New York Times had once selected the restaurant as one of the top 10 in the world.
The overall dining experience was great. We (well, not really me… but my hosts) ordered what seemed to be one of everything. It started out with lots of steamed dumplings that were to die for. My favorites were the pork dumplings, but the green vegetable and shrimp were great too. I ate till I started to feel somewhat full. Rookie mistake. I didn’t realize it was the first course of many. So next came various noodles and soup. And then pork fried rice and fried pork chops. And some more.
Let’s just say I was stuffed. In a good way.
Unfortunately, this is as close as I got to Taipei 101 during this (work) trip. Maybe next time.
The building has 101 floors and is designed to withstand strong typhoons. Good thing, because one is headed our way… getting iffy if I’ll be able to make my flight to Hong Kong tomorrow.
From the Car: Taipei 101
It happened again… I caved when I found a new donut place near my new apartment. This place is appropriately called Donut Factory and somehow ended up with three donuts when I only intended to get one. Of the many choices, I settled on strawberry white chocolate, apple cinnamon and dark chocolate raspberry.
This morning I woke up and decided it was time to visit the Jurong Bird Park. It boasts the world’s largest aviary, you know. And the highest man-made waterfall at just over 100 feet. So, I hopped on the Red N/S subway, got off at the Raffles stop and switched to the green E/W line and rode it until Boon Lay. Then I boarded the 194 bus and rode it to the park. About 45 minutes of travel for about $1.50. Not bad.
I made a conscious point to arrive early. Less heat and the crowds here can be a bit much sometimes, so I decided earlier the better. Good choice. The walking trails were nearly empty because most everyone got suckered into some stupid “Birds of Prey” show. I swung by for a couple minutes to see what the fuss was about, but promptly decided I’d prefer empty walking trails void of slow moving people, strollers, wandering kids.. and grandma trying to keep-up. Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but I like to move at my own pace.
Overall, the open atmosphere of the park allowed the birds to live in a more natural, less-confining space. And the aviary was the coolest ever and I still can’t believe how huge it was. I felt like I was hiking thru the forest with huge trees and lush vegetation all around me. Most of the time I couldn’t even see the net high about the trees. For being captive, those birds didn’t have it too bad. Lots of area to fly around. Fresh melons and mangos lying about to snack on. Not too bad.
Worry time. I was so distracted taking photos and messing with my new camera lens, I didn’t notice the mosquitoes munching on my legs. All I could think about after that was, “I was standing by still water. I’m going to get Dengue Fever… maybe Malaria”. Or is it the other way around? Which is worse? Beats me, but of course I didn’t get any of my vaccinations before arriving. Would be just my luck. Maybe I don’t even need to worry about any of that here… I should find out.
I got my first haircut in Singapore today. I didn’t plan on getting one, but while I was walking thru the Velocity Mall in Novena I happened upon something interesting. It was a haircutting kiosk, of sorts, and it brought a whole new dimension to an express cut. I knew it could be dangerous to try it, but what the heck… one of the benefits of thinning hair and receding hairlines is that everyone’s expectations toward your hair significantly decreases. They’re just happy if you keep it trim, clean and most importantly avoid the dreaded comb-over.
Anyway, this place was efficient. No incompetent greeter asking you for your phone number, or about a reservation, or anything like that. You simply take a $10 bill, slide it into the kiosk and then take your token. Next you queue up on the bench, where there are numbers designating your place in line. Once a space is clear, the next person moves into a chair, everyone shifts one place down on the bench and the next person takes their turn in the assembly line.
Once I got called to a chair there clearly was a communication gap, but I thought I had conveyed my usual cut. Well, let’s just say the #1.5 clipper made its way much higher on my head than normal. I got the traditional G.I. Joe cut. Maybe that’s what the stylist associated with Americans who want a short haircut. Who knows? Or, maybe she was in a huge hurry to get me out of her chair, because; after she put the cloth over me and snapped it around my neck I started getting hot, and then hotter, and hotter. Eventually, I felt the first drip of sweat beading up on my forehead. I kept thinking what a mess it would be if I *really* started sweating and then I started to imagine the poor woman with two hands full of sticky, little snippets of hair all glued to her hands. And, the more I thought of it, the more I started to sweat. Plus, it still was SO hot with that covering on me.
Eventually it was over. I know my fear was realized… at least a little bit. I couldn’t wait to get out of there!
I think the whole end-to-end experience took no more than 15 minutes. It definitely shows, but it’ll grow back in a couple of weeks.
