Week 3 Highlights

I got a new local +65 phone this week!  I'm trying to conserve my 303 number via Google Voice, but I just recently learned this was an option and doing it from outside the US has been tricky.  Stay tuned.  I ended up with an iPhone 5, which is less than ideal and I'm hoping to get a 6 in a couple of months, but moving from one Apple product to another is always amazing -- all contacts, alarms, apps, etc. transfer making it so easy!  Not hard to see why Google and Apple rule the world.

I made my first Singaporean green smoothie this week!  Frozen fruit/veggies and flaxmeal are incredibly expensive, but worth it, I think, to eat something healthy.

My employment pass was finally approved this week, so I was able to open a local bank account.  The bank printed and issued my card on the spot!  My grocery store membership and train/bus account can also be linked to the card.  Hello, efficiency!  It feels good to finally have an account that I can be paid into, transfer money amongst friends, etc., but it also feels a little weird to be cutting more and more American ties.

For anyone who has ever taken an underground train, you know how confusing it can be when you get off the train.  You don't really know which was is up, East, West, etc and there are many exits out.  This week, I finally discovered the "Locality Map" which is a close up map of the MRT station and labels the exits.  Finding this enabled me to add 1.5 blocks of Aircon to my commute.  WIN .

I got my desk fully set up with monitors, a docking station, etc.  As soon as I can figure out how to get this pic printed, it will sit in a frame next to me all day.

Wednesday night, I went to Kinki for Happy Hour.  There are a couple of fancy rooftop bars that do ladies' nights on Wednesdays, but they don't start until 9pm and the granny in me can't do that.  Kinki was very cool.  It's a rooftop, but only on the 2nd floor, right on the water, great view of MBS and 2 for 1 HH (which means my two drinks cost me just as much as they would have regularly in the US).  It was a pretty view, and I walked along the water after sunset to catch the MBS lightshow, which was quite lame, but it was a bit lonely.

Sunset view from Kinki. 

I joined GuavaPass, which is very similar to ClassPass in the states.  Gyms here are quite pricey (~$130) and although GP is $140, I think it will be a good way to explore different areas in town and try different classes.  The diversity of classes here blows my mind!  Especially coming from somewhere as physically active as CO.  The first class I did was YogaMax, which was yoga with weights and some swing stretching.

You could also enroll in:  belly dancing, yoga, ballet, judo, pole dancing, open gym, bootcamps, etc.  After YogaMax, I met up with a new friend, Kevin, and some of his local Singaporean friends.  We had delicious cocktails of Japanese whiskey and green tea and stayed out dancing and laughing way too late.

It was just supposed to be a casual Thursday night drink.  Oops.  Does seeing a bottle of Moet & Chandon make anyone else immediately think of that SNL skit?!  I'd link it for you, buttttt I can't actually get to it from a foreign country.  Google it.  You won't be disappointed. 

Then I got to come home and FaceTime with these three gorgeous human beings hiking Matthews/Winters in Golden.  So sad to have missed the Denver/Seattle weekend for Brandon's birthday we planned months ago, but they all were so sweet and kept me up to date with texts and pictures and FT.  [Dad, seriously, get an iPhone.]

Thursday was supposed to be a little quiet because there was a booze cruise planned for Hari Raya Friday.  The end of Ramadan is a public holiday in SG, so we all had the day off.  

 Champagne toast to start the day!  

 Lazarus Island

 The whole crew. 

Last group shot before we headed back to land. 

Alyssa organized this whole thing, so 21 of us got to take a chartered boat out to sea for the day.  Was $75/person, plus BYO food/drinks.  It was such a fun day.  Once we docked, we headed to the Tanjong Beach Club for more fun in the sun/sand and for me to discover that I am, indeed, an athlete.  Rugby was so fun!  And even though it was touch, I managed to get a few sand burns. 

Saturday was a pretty lazy day full of recovery, napping and laundry.  A few of us did manage to catch the National Day practice air show and fireworks though!  As I mentioned in an earlier post, Singapore is turning 50 this year and, in preparation for the big day, they practice (in full!) the parade, air show and fireworks every Saturday.  Since I will be out of town for the actual day (we get a 4 day weekend and virtually no one stays in town for it), it was so great to catch the festivities early.   A group of us went to this restaurant/bar OverEasy for a perfect view of the shows. It blows my mind that they do this every week for 5 weeks.  So insanely expensive and disruptive, but also fun!  Someone mentioned to me that I probably only get to play tourist for one more week and then I'll be an actual resident.  Eek - I'm not ready! ;)  After the show, I was talked into making the 30 min walk home...so hot. 

 There's a giant commercial airliner leading the pack there. 

Soooooo pretty!

Sunday I finally made it to one of the famed Sinagporean hawker centers. 

 This picture doesn't do it justice, but the line for this chicken rice was insane. 

 $5 of deliciousness.

After I was full from lunch, I decided I needed 8 fried dumplings ($4) and some delicious pineapple/pear juice ($2). 

After my lunch excursion, I had grand plans to go to the gym.  It took me almost an hour to finally find the gym and then it was closed.  I was so hot and exhausted and irritated after 3 hours in basically non-stop heat, I just decided to go home rather than look for another gym.  I hate to use the heat as an excuse, but it is seriously draining.  I'm really hoping that I adjust to it at some point. 

I happened to fall into a really great group of people via my incredible flatmates and hanging out with them quite a bit this week was nice.  I'm really enjoying everyone I'm meeting - they're all so friendly and smart and interesting and fun.