Apparently the Drums on the boats are mostly for traditional purposes... they usually don't even row with them except in races like this! The drummer sets tehir pace according to how the lead rowers set the pace, not the other way around!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Dragon Boat Races
This weekend there was a big Dragon Boat race down around Boat Quay. My brother was in a few with the American Dragons Team. They didn't do too well Saturday, but on Sunday my brother's boat placed 4th in the finals!
Apparently the Drums on the boats are mostly for traditional purposes... they usually don't even row with them except in races like this! The drummer sets tehir pace according to how the lead rowers set the pace, not the other way around!
Boat Quay has a lot of restaurants along the water, so while we watched the races, we also got to eat! We were at an Irish place...so Stew for me!
Apparently the Drums on the boats are mostly for traditional purposes... they usually don't even row with them except in races like this! The drummer sets tehir pace according to how the lead rowers set the pace, not the other way around!
Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving!
Actually, it is still Thanksgiving in the US, but here in Singapore, it is already Friday morning!
Let me just start off by saying that I LOVE THANKSGIVING. Thanksgiving-Christmas is my favorite part of the year!This year, of course, we didn't get to spend time with our family in Mississippi, as is our usual tradition, but we found a Turkey, opened some cranberry sauce, mashed the potatoes and still managed to enjoy ourselves immensely.
Much to my brother and father's disappointment, however, there were no football games for them to watch on TV...somethign I didn't really care about, myself.
Today is another "holiday" or sorts in itself, of course...Black Friday!!!! Crazy sales here, but we went out to the mall anyway!
We ended up making a little trip up to the top of the Marina Bay Sands Tower.Check out the view!
Actually, it is still Thanksgiving in the US, but here in Singapore, it is already Friday morning!
Let me just start off by saying that I LOVE THANKSGIVING. Thanksgiving-Christmas is my favorite part of the year!This year, of course, we didn't get to spend time with our family in Mississippi, as is our usual tradition, but we found a Turkey, opened some cranberry sauce, mashed the potatoes and still managed to enjoy ourselves immensely.
Much to my brother and father's disappointment, however, there were no football games for them to watch on TV...somethign I didn't really care about, myself.
Today is another "holiday" or sorts in itself, of course...Black Friday!!!! Crazy sales here, but we went out to the mall anyway!
We ended up making a little trip up to the top of the Marina Bay Sands Tower.Check out the view!
Presents!
Last week my Dad had to go back to the US for work and we sent a shopping list with him! It was like Christmas had come early!!!...actually, we did each have an early present from some friends.
Look at our goodies!
My personal request....
Yessss!!!!
:)
Look at our goodies!
My personal request....
:)
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
They have shoes for that?
Teams competed in matches (best out of 3), then the winners would progress on towards other winners, and the losers towards other losers...what is that called? Brackets? They were very serious about the competition, too.
What amused me (and my mother) the most, perhaps, was that they even have their own shoes! I mean, I guess it is to be expected... what sport doesn't have their own special shoes to wear? It was still sort of funny, though. They all had shoe covers to wear as well whenever they were walking anywhere other than on the green mat part.
Right now there is some sort of Asian Olympic thing going on... I guess this means that Tug-of-War isn't included in that since they had to have their own championship on the side.
It was an interesting find, nonetheless!
Laugh off Asia
Last Saturday I got to go to Laugh Off Asia, a stand-up comedy show. As the name might suggest, the comedians were all Asian... 3 Singaporeans and 3 Filipinos.
The show was held in the old parliament building, which gave the whole show an interesting feel, and was the object of many jokes. "You can bet I'm the first one to ever say THAT in the Parliament house!"... and other similar things.
The show was formatted as a sort of "competition" between the Singaporeans and the Filipinos, but they didn't really compete at all. The first Singaporean and Filipino each did 10 minutes, the next two did 15 and the last two did 20 minutes.
The actual comedians weren't the only ones getting a laugh, however, because the MC was totally hilarious. He was from Pakistan, something he immediately put to good use laugh-wise.
One of the things I was unsure about before going, was whether or not I would even understand the jokes. My fears were completely unneeded, however, because I, and the three friends who also went (Kevin, Heather and Jim...all American), had no trouble understanding any of it (well, except when they would say something that was obviously funny in whatever their local tongue was).
Most of the people there were Asian, mostly Singaporeans, but with a fair number of Filipinos present as well. There were also others, however. The "white people." Two French guys, a couple Germans, a few British, one Australian and a Swiss Guy, and a few more Americans. While the majority of jokes were centered around the different cultures you can find all around Singapore and the Philippines, there were also a fair number of "White people" jokes... some for each of us, I guess :) I have to say, it was sort of odd being the object of their jokes. I mean, nothing they said was out of the ordinary jokes range... Americans know zero Geography, beware the Germans in case they get drunk and then decide to occupy us, don't ask the Swiss anything important because they'll remain neutral... but it was still funny hearing it from an Asian's point of view.
The show was extremely funny. Afterwords, we happened to meet a few of the comedians, and they were excited to know we enjoyed the show despite our "White-person-ness" haha
One of the interesting things about the old parliament house is that the names of all the important people that used to meet there have their nameplates on their chairs.
I took a picture of Lee Kuan Yew's chair... so did everyone else. He was their first Prime Minister.
The parliament house had a very "old-timey" feeling, in a lot of ways. This is especially true considering what their current parliament house looks like.
It is not the tall building, but the flattish round one.What does it look like to you?... you can go ahead a say it... UFO. That's right, Singapore is ruled by aliens. Comforting, right?
Haha... anyway, I had a lot of fun. Afterwords, the four of us went strolling down Boat Quay (pronounced Key, for all you Americans) and then ended up heading over to Clarke Quay with Kevin where we met up with our friend Dexter. We ended up dancing at a club called Highlanders (no cover and a live band...why not?), eating ice cream at BK and then heading home around 4 am. Excellent Night.
The show was formatted as a sort of "competition" between the Singaporeans and the Filipinos, but they didn't really compete at all. The first Singaporean and Filipino each did 10 minutes, the next two did 15 and the last two did 20 minutes.
The actual comedians weren't the only ones getting a laugh, however, because the MC was totally hilarious. He was from Pakistan, something he immediately put to good use laugh-wise.
One of the things I was unsure about before going, was whether or not I would even understand the jokes. My fears were completely unneeded, however, because I, and the three friends who also went (Kevin, Heather and Jim...all American), had no trouble understanding any of it (well, except when they would say something that was obviously funny in whatever their local tongue was).
Most of the people there were Asian, mostly Singaporeans, but with a fair number of Filipinos present as well. There were also others, however. The "white people." Two French guys, a couple Germans, a few British, one Australian and a Swiss Guy, and a few more Americans. While the majority of jokes were centered around the different cultures you can find all around Singapore and the Philippines, there were also a fair number of "White people" jokes... some for each of us, I guess :) I have to say, it was sort of odd being the object of their jokes. I mean, nothing they said was out of the ordinary jokes range... Americans know zero Geography, beware the Germans in case they get drunk and then decide to occupy us, don't ask the Swiss anything important because they'll remain neutral... but it was still funny hearing it from an Asian's point of view.
The show was extremely funny. Afterwords, we happened to meet a few of the comedians, and they were excited to know we enjoyed the show despite our "White-person-ness" haha
One of the interesting things about the old parliament house is that the names of all the important people that used to meet there have their nameplates on their chairs.
I took a picture of Lee Kuan Yew's chair... so did everyone else. He was their first Prime Minister.
The parliament house had a very "old-timey" feeling, in a lot of ways. This is especially true considering what their current parliament house looks like.
Haha... anyway, I had a lot of fun. Afterwords, the four of us went strolling down Boat Quay (pronounced Key, for all you Americans) and then ended up heading over to Clarke Quay with Kevin where we met up with our friend Dexter. We ended up dancing at a club called Highlanders (no cover and a live band...why not?), eating ice cream at BK and then heading home around 4 am. Excellent Night.
Monday, November 21, 2011
An Unexpected Surprise
Last week I went on a tour of an area called Fort Canning Park. It started in the evening and was supposed to be a night tour of this really big hill in Singapore. On the hill is where 5 ancient kings used to live (supposedly), and it is also where Raffles, the British founder of Singapore) built his house.
The group was walking around the hill, minding our own "historical" business, when low and behold, we stumbled upon a concert. This wasn't just any concert either, mind you, but a heavy metal concert. Children of Bodom were playing, a Finnish group, and there was a large crowd of locals (dressed in black) to watch.
My group didn't actually go into the concert or anything (it was an outdoor concert at the very top of the hill), but later, when we climbed up the gates of the old Fort Canning, we could see them playing.
This just goes to show that you never know what to expect from Singapore!
The group was walking around the hill, minding our own "historical" business, when low and behold, we stumbled upon a concert. This wasn't just any concert either, mind you, but a heavy metal concert. Children of Bodom were playing, a Finnish group, and there was a large crowd of locals (dressed in black) to watch.
My group didn't actually go into the concert or anything (it was an outdoor concert at the very top of the hill), but later, when we climbed up the gates of the old Fort Canning, we could see them playing.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Anime Festival Asia
Last weekend there was an Anime Convention here in Singapore. Did I go?... Of course I went!
Some of you who have frequented my blog posts for a longer period of time, might be aware that I really enjoy anime. I usually try to attend Megacon, the convention that comes to Orlando every spring, so I was really excited to be able and go to one while in Asia.
Right off the bat, the most exciting thing about the convention, was that it was cheap! I don't remember right off the top of my head how much Megacon was last year, but it was probably at least around $30. Anime Festival Asia, AFA for short... $8!!! That's right, I said 8 bucks! No this got you entrance to the event for one day and included the exhibition room. That was also where the signings took place and the gaming.
Now the convention had another main attraction... Anisong. They had concert tickets available for all the groups playing, but I didn't have time to stay for all of that part... so sorry, no comment on all of that section. I expect that the concert was actually the biggest part for a lot of people, though. There have been commercials playing on TV for their arrival for a while now.
So anyway, I head off to the convention, and to be honest, my expectations were all over the place. To start out with, I expected it to be hugely popular and crowded.. I mean, this is Aisia we're talking about. you expect Anime to be popular. I also expected there to be a lot of Cospley (dressing up as the characters), and I expected them to be pretty good quality, or maybe more extreme. Thirdly, I expected there to be stuff to buy everywhere. I wasn't really planning on getting a lot of Merchandise, but I still was expecting to find it.
On the other hand, I had tried to set lower expectations for the Convention. In the US, when people attend bug Cons, like Megacon, I don't only see anime. People dress up however they like... Star Wars, Star Trek, Anime, Popular Movie Characters, Pop artists, Disney... you name it, you could see it.
To be frank, I felt like AFA lacked a lot. Their exhibition room was a pretty good size, and it was certainly very crowded (Asian as far as the eye could see!), but in all other areas of my expectations, they fell dismally flat.
One of the biggest disappointments was definitely the lack of stuff to buy. Don't get me wrong, there was stuff to buy there...but where was the huge tower of Tshirts? Where were the countless stacks of posters? It just wasn't the same. There were cosplayers, but most of them were pretty simple. All in all, a bit disappointing, I would say.
So even though it is a little sad that the Asian Anime Convention I had so anticipated was a little, well... boring, I am still glad I got to go and see it! Can't wait for Megacon in Orlando, though!
Some of you who have frequented my blog posts for a longer period of time, might be aware that I really enjoy anime. I usually try to attend Megacon, the convention that comes to Orlando every spring, so I was really excited to be able and go to one while in Asia.
Right off the bat, the most exciting thing about the convention, was that it was cheap! I don't remember right off the top of my head how much Megacon was last year, but it was probably at least around $30. Anime Festival Asia, AFA for short... $8!!! That's right, I said 8 bucks! No this got you entrance to the event for one day and included the exhibition room. That was also where the signings took place and the gaming.
Now the convention had another main attraction... Anisong. They had concert tickets available for all the groups playing, but I didn't have time to stay for all of that part... so sorry, no comment on all of that section. I expect that the concert was actually the biggest part for a lot of people, though. There have been commercials playing on TV for their arrival for a while now.
So anyway, I head off to the convention, and to be honest, my expectations were all over the place. To start out with, I expected it to be hugely popular and crowded.. I mean, this is Aisia we're talking about. you expect Anime to be popular. I also expected there to be a lot of Cospley (dressing up as the characters), and I expected them to be pretty good quality, or maybe more extreme. Thirdly, I expected there to be stuff to buy everywhere. I wasn't really planning on getting a lot of Merchandise, but I still was expecting to find it.
On the other hand, I had tried to set lower expectations for the Convention. In the US, when people attend bug Cons, like Megacon, I don't only see anime. People dress up however they like... Star Wars, Star Trek, Anime, Popular Movie Characters, Pop artists, Disney... you name it, you could see it.
One of the biggest disappointments was definitely the lack of stuff to buy. Don't get me wrong, there was stuff to buy there...but where was the huge tower of Tshirts? Where were the countless stacks of posters? It just wasn't the same. There were cosplayers, but most of them were pretty simple. All in all, a bit disappointing, I would say.
So even though it is a little sad that the Asian Anime Convention I had so anticipated was a little, well... boring, I am still glad I got to go and see it! Can't wait for Megacon in Orlando, though!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Hari Raya Haji
So guess what yesterday was... Public Holiday!!! haha I know all you Westerners are probably thinking "What is with all these public holidays? Didn't they just have one last week?" Don't be jealous!!
I think I mentioned in one of the my other posts that each of the major religious groups here can pick one or two of their religious holidays and designate it as a public holiday. Well yesterday was Hari Raya Haji, an Islamic holiday.
I am not sure how much you guys know about this day, but I believe it's purpose is to celebrate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son (whom they believe is Ishmael) in obedience to God. Of course, before Abraham could do that, God provided the animal to sacrifice instead. I believe it also marks the end of the time of pilgrimage to Mecca. Well anyway, this is a day in which animal sacrifices are customarily made and over the weekend, over 4,000 goats were brought into Singapore for that purpose. 4,000!!!
I have absolutely no idea how or where all these goats were sacrificed...and every single on of them was intended for that purpose. I mean, there is no way the temples around here would even be able to hold that many people, right? And it's not like yard space is abundant around here either. I really have no idea where this all took place.
Of course, I spent my day shopping with the family...surprise surprise. haha We ate at a German restaurant that I actually enjoyed more than I thought I would, and then we saw a movie.
Oh, side note about the movie:
The movie we saw was Tower Heist. It was pretty funny, but with Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller I expected nothing less. During one part, the concierge of the Tower (the Tower staff are the main characters) produces a bunch of red flowers and informs Ben Stiller's character that, as it is Chinese New Year, he has gotten the flowers for one of their Asian residents. He also insists that he must say something nice to her or else she might have a bad year. He then proceeds to present her with flowers when she arrives in the building lobby and to address her in Chinese. There were no English subtitles, so I have absolutely no idea what he said, but all the Singaporeans in the theatre (many of whom speak Chinese) all started laughing, so I have to assume it was funny. That is when the bizarreness of seeing a movie where the majority of the people around you actually understand the Chinese struck me, and I couldn't help but laugh too.
Of course what I found odd and somewhat funny was that the movie was set for sometime in November, but Chinese New Year is not until closer to February.
Back to my topic of Public Holidays....
No need to be jealous, my lovely American friends and family. There are no more public holidays that I am aware of here until Christmas, by which time I should be back in the States. You guys get Veterans Day soon, then Thanksgiving after that.
I think I mentioned in one of the my other posts that each of the major religious groups here can pick one or two of their religious holidays and designate it as a public holiday. Well yesterday was Hari Raya Haji, an Islamic holiday.
I am not sure how much you guys know about this day, but I believe it's purpose is to celebrate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son (whom they believe is Ishmael) in obedience to God. Of course, before Abraham could do that, God provided the animal to sacrifice instead. I believe it also marks the end of the time of pilgrimage to Mecca. Well anyway, this is a day in which animal sacrifices are customarily made and over the weekend, over 4,000 goats were brought into Singapore for that purpose. 4,000!!!
I have absolutely no idea how or where all these goats were sacrificed...and every single on of them was intended for that purpose. I mean, there is no way the temples around here would even be able to hold that many people, right? And it's not like yard space is abundant around here either. I really have no idea where this all took place.
Of course, I spent my day shopping with the family...surprise surprise. haha We ate at a German restaurant that I actually enjoyed more than I thought I would, and then we saw a movie.
Oh, side note about the movie:
The movie we saw was Tower Heist. It was pretty funny, but with Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller I expected nothing less. During one part, the concierge of the Tower (the Tower staff are the main characters) produces a bunch of red flowers and informs Ben Stiller's character that, as it is Chinese New Year, he has gotten the flowers for one of their Asian residents. He also insists that he must say something nice to her or else she might have a bad year. He then proceeds to present her with flowers when she arrives in the building lobby and to address her in Chinese. There were no English subtitles, so I have absolutely no idea what he said, but all the Singaporeans in the theatre (many of whom speak Chinese) all started laughing, so I have to assume it was funny. That is when the bizarreness of seeing a movie where the majority of the people around you actually understand the Chinese struck me, and I couldn't help but laugh too.
Of course what I found odd and somewhat funny was that the movie was set for sometime in November, but Chinese New Year is not until closer to February.
Back to my topic of Public Holidays....
No need to be jealous, my lovely American friends and family. There are no more public holidays that I am aware of here until Christmas, by which time I should be back in the States. You guys get Veterans Day soon, then Thanksgiving after that.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
American Food
After eating at Chili's for the second time last night in Singapore, I decided to do a blog post on finding American Food in Singapore.
Let's start with the basics, the seemingly obvious places to go:
McDonald's and Burger King... they're everywhere, right? To be honest, I like them better here than I do in the US... the same was true when I was in Spain and other parts of Europe. For the most part, places like this are pretty similar to their US counterparts, though I think the quality of the meat is sometimes better, and they use different oils to cook with and stuff. Let's go ahead and add Wendy's to this list..also something that I have found to be pretty similar to what's at home.
For the record, let me just go out there and say that Asia has yet to master "The Hamburger." Try as they might, it just isn't quite right. This come mostly from my dad, as I have never been fond of burgers anyway... McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Swensens...all have less than adequate burgers, though Burger King is probably at the forefront of this list. Now Carl Jrs... they have managed to provide a decent Burger.
Among the other popular American chains are KFC, Kenny Rogers, Popeye's, Long John Silvers, Subway, Dunkin Donuts, Pizza Hut and Dominoes.
KFC... not a fan. It just doesn't taste the same to me! Their sides consist of an option between mashed potatoes (not good ones, either), fries or Cole slaw. Also, you get absolutely no silverware at all and hardly any napkins!
Kenny Rogers... One of my favorites here, though mostly because it reminds me of Boston Market which I have a particular fondness for. It still isn't top notch or anything.
Popeye's... they have good fried chicken. They even have biscuits and gravy, which was sort of surprising for me!
Subway is by far the most "normal" (aka like how it is in the US). You get pretty much all the same options as any other Subway would offer... but the $5 foot long isn't a fad... that would be an awesome deal here since things are usually a couple bucks more expensive.
Pizza Hut tries really hard, but it isn't the same either. They have no sauce on most of their pizzas, and a lot of their toppings can get strange. Also, there is not really a "make your own" option, and even altering the choices of pizzas given to you can be a hassle. I still think the pizza tastes okay, but it just is not American.
Dominoes isn't even worth it.
Other popular American favorites also include things like Starbucks and a collection of ice cream places, but I don't go to them very often.
Funnily enough, when I think of eating American food, I sort of lump in Mexican with that even though it should be considered more as "Western Food" instead. We've tried a lot of Mexican places, and most of them were all right, but nothing special. My big pet peeve? They almost never give you cheese on the side when you order fajitas!! Also, they generally have horrible queso!!
And now back to Chili's and, for that matter, Friday's as well. I don't really know what to say except.... they are sooooo good! A tad expensive, but GOOD! 1.) They have lemonade ( a rare thing here) AND it isn't just the Snapple kind! 2.) They have free refills! This is literally nonexistent here. 3.) There food is American. It doesn't just look American in the pictures, it tastes like it too!! Ahhh I can already feel my mouth watering just thinking about Friday's yummy Chicken Alfredo or Chili's Guiltless Chicken pasta. My brother gets the ribs every time... loves them! Oh, and their lava cakes... just like home!
There are other places as well that I haven't tried out yet.. Tony Roma's, Outback, California Pizza Kitchen and probably more. While getting "authentic" American food can be a chore, it certainly is worth it sometimes. It's funny how the little things count for so much... like the football games (like legit football, and not soccer or rugby) that play on the tvs while you eat.
So anyway, that by no means was an adequate description of the concept of eating "American Food" while in Singapore, but I hope it will suffice for now. Enjoy your next trip to Five Guys or the Olive Garden...and think of me while you are there! I know they will certainly be two of many trips I will be making once back in the states!
Let's start with the basics, the seemingly obvious places to go:
McDonald's and Burger King... they're everywhere, right? To be honest, I like them better here than I do in the US... the same was true when I was in Spain and other parts of Europe. For the most part, places like this are pretty similar to their US counterparts, though I think the quality of the meat is sometimes better, and they use different oils to cook with and stuff. Let's go ahead and add Wendy's to this list..also something that I have found to be pretty similar to what's at home.
For the record, let me just go out there and say that Asia has yet to master "The Hamburger." Try as they might, it just isn't quite right. This come mostly from my dad, as I have never been fond of burgers anyway... McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Swensens...all have less than adequate burgers, though Burger King is probably at the forefront of this list. Now Carl Jrs... they have managed to provide a decent Burger.
Among the other popular American chains are KFC, Kenny Rogers, Popeye's, Long John Silvers, Subway, Dunkin Donuts, Pizza Hut and Dominoes.
KFC... not a fan. It just doesn't taste the same to me! Their sides consist of an option between mashed potatoes (not good ones, either), fries or Cole slaw. Also, you get absolutely no silverware at all and hardly any napkins!
Kenny Rogers... One of my favorites here, though mostly because it reminds me of Boston Market which I have a particular fondness for. It still isn't top notch or anything.
Popeye's... they have good fried chicken. They even have biscuits and gravy, which was sort of surprising for me!
Subway is by far the most "normal" (aka like how it is in the US). You get pretty much all the same options as any other Subway would offer... but the $5 foot long isn't a fad... that would be an awesome deal here since things are usually a couple bucks more expensive.
Pizza Hut tries really hard, but it isn't the same either. They have no sauce on most of their pizzas, and a lot of their toppings can get strange. Also, there is not really a "make your own" option, and even altering the choices of pizzas given to you can be a hassle. I still think the pizza tastes okay, but it just is not American.
Dominoes isn't even worth it.
Other popular American favorites also include things like Starbucks and a collection of ice cream places, but I don't go to them very often.
Funnily enough, when I think of eating American food, I sort of lump in Mexican with that even though it should be considered more as "Western Food" instead. We've tried a lot of Mexican places, and most of them were all right, but nothing special. My big pet peeve? They almost never give you cheese on the side when you order fajitas!! Also, they generally have horrible queso!!
And now back to Chili's and, for that matter, Friday's as well. I don't really know what to say except.... they are sooooo good! A tad expensive, but GOOD! 1.) They have lemonade ( a rare thing here) AND it isn't just the Snapple kind! 2.) They have free refills! This is literally nonexistent here. 3.) There food is American. It doesn't just look American in the pictures, it tastes like it too!! Ahhh I can already feel my mouth watering just thinking about Friday's yummy Chicken Alfredo or Chili's Guiltless Chicken pasta. My brother gets the ribs every time... loves them! Oh, and their lava cakes... just like home!
There are other places as well that I haven't tried out yet.. Tony Roma's, Outback, California Pizza Kitchen and probably more. While getting "authentic" American food can be a chore, it certainly is worth it sometimes. It's funny how the little things count for so much... like the football games (like legit football, and not soccer or rugby) that play on the tvs while you eat.
So anyway, that by no means was an adequate description of the concept of eating "American Food" while in Singapore, but I hope it will suffice for now. Enjoy your next trip to Five Guys or the Olive Garden...and think of me while you are there! I know they will certainly be two of many trips I will be making once back in the states!
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