History lessons

This week has been full of history lessons!  I have always loved history, but being a product of American public schools, most of what I know is confined to a (semi) modern history of the western world.  I've always kind of known this, but it has really become evident to me over the past year or so.  One thing that I think is interesting to note is that I know a ton about World War I and II, but everything past that seemed to have been crammed into a one week lesson meant to cover 50 years of things happening that weren't quite as favorable towards Americans.

I saw Argo on Sunday night with some friends.  It was AWESOME.  Most of you probably know that I don't really go to the movies much, but this movie was absolutely worth seeing!  Ben Affleck is great.  And Danny Castellano is in the movie too!  (Have I mentioned that I am obsessed with The Mindy Project?)

Anyway - really great film, but it definitely opened my eyes to some things that I guess I was never really aware of before.  Honestly, I had heard of the Iranian hostage crisis before, but I didn't know that there were these Americans who had escaped.  I also had no clue what led to it.  I thought we boycotted the Olympics because we just didn't like Russia.

Everyone should go see it.  Makes you feel a bit patriotic, but also makes you feel like there could be crazy things happening in the world that we just have no clue about...

The other thing I've been learning a lot about this week is the Vietnam War!  I'm going to Ho Chi Minh City this weekend, so I thought it would be prudent to brush up on my (close to embarrassingly little) knowledge about Saigon and the historical significance of the city.

I think we are planning to visit the tunnels and the war museum, and we are going to take a foodie motorbike tour of the city!  Everyone says that the people in Vietnam are super nice, and of course, I can't wait to have some pho and some Vietnamese coffee... yum!  Hopefully I will remember to be a good blogger and take lots of pictures to share with you guys when I am back.

On America

I've been out here for just under four months now.  It is crazy how quickly time is going by!  I've probably said this a hundred times already, but time is such a funny thing.  At times, it feels like I've only lived in Singapore for five seconds.  But at the same time, living in Nashville seems like it was a lifetime ago.

One thing that I have definitely noticed so far is that my love for America has shot through the roof since moving out here.  I am infinitely more patriotic now than I ever was when I lived in the US.  Obviously, I've always thought America was great and all, but I think it is really easy to take things for granted and to kind of complain about things, and I definitely did that.  It's weird because sometimes things would happen, either in my every day life or that I would read or hear about in the news, and I used to think that America had some certain things so backwards.  I felt like I was constantly rolling my eyes and thinking - why are people so closed-minded?  How can people's discriminatory thoughts be so thinly veiled?  Why can't we do things more like x,y, or z other country?  It's no wonder why other countries don't love us!

But the thing is - I was wrong.  I did not give America enough credit.  Sometimes I guess you need to just get out there and see things for yourself to realize that what you read about in books and magazines, what you see on television and movies, and what you hear about from other people is only part of the story.  And it also isn't your story.  Sometimes you just need to take some time away to realize how much you appreciate something.

On a lighter note.. hope you guys all had a great Thanksgiving.  I was sad to not have leftovers to eat this weekend!  I'm going to see Argo tonight, and then looking forward to heading to Vietnam on Friday!

And of course, some obligatory random pictures.

This is a Pizza Hut ad.  I feel certain that they are not selling this in the US.  The description says "Two unique crusts, one stuffed with cheesy sausage and another with 3 flavour cheese.  Topped with succulent smoked chicken and turkey ham on two tantilising sauces - Pepper Alfredo and Salsa."  This does not sound delicious to me at all.  

Random cases of orange juice on the MRT.

This picture came out really bad because I was trying to stealthily take this picture without using the flash, but these girls looked absolutely absurd.  And they were old.

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 19 - I am thankful that I still get giddy over silly things.
November 20 - I am thankful for yoga.
November 21 - I am thankful for knowing my limits.
November 22 - I am thankful for the chance to celebrate the holiday with new friends.

Happy Thanksgiving friends.  I've listed some things that I'm thankful for over the past few weeks, but today, while I am thankful that I am about to go eat some turkey with new friends, I want to emphasize how thankful I am for all of you - my old friends.

A lot of times, when life changes, your friendships change.  When I moved to Nashville, I learned a lot based on how some of my relationships changed or didn't change as time went by.  Some friendships became stronger, and some friendships kind of went the other way.  Some took way more work than I anticipated, and some seemed like a breeze. I've only been in Singapore for a few months, but so far, I must say that I've been really grateful that so many of my old friends have put in the effort to keep in touch even though the distance, the time zones, and life in general can make it hard.

I have also come to realize what a really great group of friends I left behind.  Obviously, I always knew you guys were awesome, but being out here has shown me some nuances in our friendships that are incredibly unique and outstanding.  I am so thankful at how we have been able to share  milestones in our lives, how you guys have welcomed me into your families, and how you have listened to me bitch and moan about everything under the sun.  I have, at times, said that I have the best friends in the world - but I really do mean it now!

Happy Thanksgiving friends - I am thankful for you!

Busy week

Where did I leave off...

November 14 - I'm thankful for old friends.
November 15 - I'm thankful for international shipping.
November 16 - I'm thankful that I have a good job.
November 17 - I'm thankful for how friendly and welcoming the ex-pat community is here.
November 18 - I'm thankful for yoga!

First let me say that it is Sunday night, and this is the first time I've opened my computer all weekend.  Woohoo!!

The rest of my short week flew by.  I discovered a great wine and tapas bar near my apartment, went to see the new Bond movie with friends, and had a super fancy lunch to close out the work week.  Here's a look at some of the highlights.

Cheese plate, spicy meatballs, garlic shrimp, and chorizo bruschetta at Wine Connection.  They sell bottles of wine for only S$30!  And the atmosphere is great.  And it's close to my house!

I was finally in the office for free fruit Wednesday!  This is a persimmon, I think?  You eat it like an apple, but it doesn't really have much taste in my opinion.

Swiss rosti with garlic pork sausage for dinner before Skyfall with a bunch of Brits.  It was interesting to me to hear how well-versed they are on all the Bond movies.  Maybe it's just because I'm really not much of a movie-goer, but I couldn't really tell you much about any of the other Bond movies.

Here is a genius idea - when you buy your movie tickets, you get to pick your seat!  No need to get to the theater extra early to get a good one.  Also, please notice how the movies are actually semi-reasonably priced here!

One thing that is totally lacking in Singapore is the idea of personal space.  I snapped this photo in the elevator at work one morning.  That girl is literally an inch away from me and my coffee cup.

Lunch with a view!  Just because it was Friday.  Every now and then, its nice to treat yourself to something that reminds you that life is pretty good :)

Fancy lunch - some sort of chicken dish, but what perplexes me is why you would serve a chicken breast in a bowl instead of on a normal plate?

The weekend has flown by as well.  Yoga, cleaning, hanging with friends, and the Jersey Boys!!  This was opening weekend for Jersey Boys, so we splurged on tickets and got great seats!  You could tell that the cast and crew were still working out some kinks (at one point, the mics stopped working and they all took an unplanned recess!), but I thought the show was great, and I really liked it.  No pictures were allowed in the theater, but here are some fun ones from elsewhere during the weekend.

Mall entrance.  I don't know if you can really see the sign, but it is basically wishing you a "beary happy Christmas!"  The cartoon-ish nature of absolutely everything in Singapore is something that I am still getting used to.

Ok - has anyone heard of Texas Chicken?  This is obviously the logo for Church's Chicken!

Another look.  Are there any Texas Chickens in the US?  Was Church's even started in Texas?  So confused.

The latest feature item at McDonald's is the Chicken BLT.  Sadly, it seems that I have missed my opportunity to experience the Samurai Burger :(  

Just because I still think this is funny.

Public holiday

November 12 - I'm thankful for my health
November 13 - I'm thankful for my co-workers in Nashville

Today is a Deepavali, which is a public holiday here in Singapore.  The office is closed, but I've been doing some work today, and I've seen every American that I know online at some point.  We just love to work :)

I haven't really done anything exciting since my last post, but I thought I would share some thoughts about a few small ways in which my life in Singapore is different from my life in America.

1.  I drink instant coffee.  One of my clients is kind of in the middle of nowhere, so there is no coffee shop close by that I can go to on my way into work.  So I bring a Starbucks VIA packet with me every day and make it when I get there.  I gave away my French press back in the US, and I would've never drank instant coffee at home, but here I guess I've made some sacrifices.

2.  I go out during the week.  Those who know me know that I never went out during the week when I lived in Nashville.  Partly in the spirit of saying yes to every invitation and partly in the spirit of relieving my elevated stress level, I go out (in varying degrees) on school nights.  Shocking.  I know.

3.  I don't bake, and I rarely cook.  Without an oven, baking is near impossible.  A few of my friends have ovens, so I could bake, but it seems like such a hassle to gather up all the ingredients and take them to someone else's house (on a bus or the MRT) just to bake something.  And I was so excited to finally get my shipment with my kitchen stuff so that I could cook, but I pretty much have reverted back to just "assembling" meals whenever I am home to eat.  Toast with various toppings has become a staple for me.  Which leads me to another thing..

4.  I eat way more carbs here.  I think this is probably pretty foreseeable and not all that shocking.  Rice and noodles are everywhere, and I eat oatmeal for breakfast everyday.  I eat toast most of the nights I have dinner at home.

5.  I leave my computer at work!  Sometimes.  I am much more inclined to lock my computer up at work (either in the audit room or in my locker in the office) at the end of the day if I really don't think I'm going to do any work at home.  I just don't want to carry it around if I don't have to.

Ok friends.  That's all I've got for now.  Hope everyone has a good week!

Well, I finished...

First things first..

November 11 - I'm thankful for our veterans.
November 12 - I'm thankful for encouraging friends.

Yesterday's half marathon was pretty brutal.  I basically just dropped the ball on my training, and I suffered for it.  I knew going into the race that I wasn't going to be able to run the whole thing.. I just hadn't put in the miles, and the heat here adds a whole layer to things that really doesn't let you be under-trained.

Pre-race breakfast

The weather was actually pretty decent.  (I think it was around 77 at the start time.. which was 5:30 am! ..and got up to about 81 or 82 once the sun came up.)  There were a lot of runners (all women!), but the course was never really crowded or congested with people, so that was good.  Much different than my first Singapore race experience!

Starting line

I was okay for the first five miles or so, but then I was just over it.  Since I knew that I wouldn't be able to run the whole thing anyway, I just started walking.  My attitude took a nose dive.  I really wanted to drop out of the race.  (I had packed extra money and my bus pass in my water bottle compartment.)  However, we were in a part of the city that I wasn't familiar with, and I never saw an MRT stop, bus stop, or taxi stand  that I recognized, so I just kept going.  I would run for a tiny stretch and then walk for a long stretch.  Luckily, I was texting with Kim for a while, which helped distract me and give me encouragement!

By the time I hit the 15k mark (a half marathon is 21k), I figured that I may as well just finish the damn race. But I still wasn't doing much running haha.  I was just so over it.  Pretty soon, some nice scenery helped make things more bearable.

And then suddenly, the finish line actually seemed a reasonable distance away!

I still did a ton of walking in the last few kilometers, but every time I did run, I was running just fine.  I looked at some of the other women around me (granted, this was towards the back of the pack), and most of them looked like they were dying as they ran.  I, on the other hand, was running like I was only on mile 2. But then I would stop and walk haha.  But I really did feel ok physically, I was just mentally drained.

I finished in about 2:48, which is a terrible time, but given the amount of walking I did (I would estimate I walked half the course or so).. I feel like that isn't bad.  So whatever, I'm glad I didn't drop out of the race, but I am really disappointed that I can't seem to get over some of these mental blocks that I have with running.  Since I was feeling fine at the end of the race, I obviously could have run more than I did.  And I certainly could've at least made it farther than the 5 mile mark before I started walking.. I just didn't.  And I don't really know why?  Any running friends have advice for mental motivation??

So even though my own race experience was a bit of a disaster, I've got to say that this race was 800 times better than the SAFRA 10K that I did.  The kilometer markers were well laid out and visible, the race course had plenty of volunteers on it to direct you, there was hydration at every 2km, and the finish area was awesome!  They had water, 100 Plus, granola bars, and medals right at the end of the finish line.  And then further out in the field they had free food for all the runners!!  Hot dogs, ice cream, fruit, and muffins!  I had a free ice cream (obviously) before heading out.

Side note - in Singapore it seems that everyone wears the race t-shirt to the actual race.  I thought that was supposed to be bad luck or something?

This weekend also included...

Dinner in Dempsey Hill at a place that I would swear was in America if it weren't for all the Asian people..

Loved the wall art! 

A trip to the Singapore Zoo (we bought a park-hopper pass when we did the Night Safari)

Don't let this fool you.. even though these two pandas arrived in Singapore a couple months ago, the exhibition is not ready yet!  I was so disappointed :(

Elephant bath!

 

Lunch at Chili's near the American Embassy.. they show football on Sundays (last week's game haha) and they have Miller Lite!  This is the first place in Singapore I've found Miller Lite.  Unfortunately, a lunch for two at Chili's in Singapore will cost you S$120!

Dinner in Little India.  Deepavali is on Tuesday, so the area is all decorated in lights and there were tons of people out and about on Sunday night.  We had dinner and then strolled through some of the markets before heading back home.

  

Deepavali is a public holiday on Tuesday, so this week will hopefully go by quickly.  Woohoo for celebrating other cultures!  Hope every had a good weekend at home!

A few days behind

So my thoughts that my blog posting would be a bit more timely this week were obviously just not accurate.  Somehow, its still be a pretty busy week!  First let's catch up on the things I'm giving thanks for..

November 6 - I'm thankful for America
November 7 - I'm thankful for technology and the way that it lets me stay connected at home
November 8 - I'm thankful for Viber and What'sApp.. free international texts!
November 9 - I'm thankful for healthy babies for my friends
November 10 - I'm thankful for new friends in Singapore and hospitality

Obviously this week in the US, the big news was the election, but it barely made a blip on most people's radars here.  It was a bit of a different experience to be outside of the US for the election.  There was definitely a lot less coverage of everything leading up to the election - but I feel like I had a mediocre sense of what was going on just based on what I saw popping up in various social media channels.  Wednesday (Tuesday evening in the US) in the office seemed like a normal day for everyone else, but I think all of us Americans were a little less productive than usual because all the election results were coming in during the morning.

So I've been thinking.  Four years ago, I watched the election results with friends in Nashville.  I had just met them all a few months earlier when we started grad school.  Four years ago, I was still registered to vote in Florida.  I was a vegetarian.  I lived in the Americana and walked to Owen everyday.  I was just about to be a bridesmaid for the very first time (that really tells you how much has changed since then!).

So it makes me wonder, what will it be like after four more years?  And the weird thing is, I have absolutely no idea.  In four years, (I think) I will be living in America.  I hope I'll still be working for the same company, but other than that, I really have no idea.  Where will I live?  Will I have a car?  Will I be renting?  (Probably.)  As a person who loves to have things planned out, it is a bit strange to think that I have no plan beyond the next 18 - 21 months or so.

Deep thoughts.

Anyway, another highlight from the week.. I actually met a girl here who is originally from Nashville.  We spent a few minutes reminiscing about all our favorite places.  At one point, we brought up the Patterson House.  I started to tell one of the other guys we were with about it.. "oh, it's this really cool speak-easy style bar that makes really great and really creative cocktails.. but you really only go there for a drink or maybe two because it's pretty pricey.." And it's funny because I had to stop and correct myself... "well, when I lived in America, I thought the drinks were pricey!"  How much is a drink at the Patterson House?  I don't even remember!  $12 or $14?  Something like that?  Now that I'm living in Singapore, I wouldn't even bat an eye at those prices!  In fact, those prices are what I'd consider fairly reasonable!  (That night we were drinking beers that were 2 for $13!  But only during happy hour!  My how things have changed..)

And now for some fun Singapore pictures!

Instead of those little green sticks that they give you in the US, Starbucks in Singapore puts tape over the top to keep your drink from spilling.  They do this in Malaysia too actually.  (Love the red cup!)

Pho on a rainy day.. one of my absolute comfort foods.

When a new restaurant opens, a bunch of people send gigantic flower arrangements and they are all displayed outside.  This also happens when there is a big anniversary too.  For some reason, I think that this is so Asian!

A sign in the MRT station.  Who would even think to bring a giant TV onto a train?  Apparently, someone.

Cosmo = not suitable for the young.  I find this hilarious.

I'm not sure if you can really see this, but the price tag says that this People magazine is S$7.90.  Oh - and it is a wee bit outdated.

In the office there is a vending machine with free snacks.  You just have to scan your badge and you can have whatever you want!  I've eaten a ton of these Dewberry cookies this week..

Tom Yum seafood soup for lunch one day.  Spicy and delicious!!

But of course, I'm still eating regular old American food at home.  Avocado on toast with a side of grapes.  I eat this meal at twice every week.

Ok friends - have a happy weekend!!

Two days at a time

November 4 - I'm thankful for my people back home. Even though I'm happy to be here and lucky to have made friends, you guys back in the States are just the best. I'm thankful that you keep in touch!

November 5 - I'm thankful for having good co-workers. Work has been challenging at times, but it's much easier to get through things when you have people that you can count on!

I guess my posts probably won't be daily, but this is my schedule right now I suppose! Although, this week I am trying to take it easy since I have my half marathon on Sunday. Gulp.  I figure that since I have been less than diligent with my running, I need to try to be as hydrated and well-rested as possible this weekend! If anyone else has any last minute race prep tips, please share!

Go Seahawks!

Better late than never

Hi friends. It's been a long week for me, so I'm really glad that it is finally the weekend.

I saw on Facebook that a bunch of people are listing one thing that they are thankful for each day during the month of November. It's already the 3rd here, but better late than never, right??

November 1- I'm thankful for my mom!
November 2- I'm thankful to have this opportunity to live out here in Singapore.
November 3- I'm thankful to have a group of friends to explore this side of the world with.

Know what else I'm thankful for this week? Coffee. I went to Starbucks on Friday and noted that the holiday drinks in Singapore are a little different. They aren't serving my favorites- the gingerbread latte and eggnog latte- but thankfully they have the peppermint mocha! What about these other two favors? Ae theses rolled out in the US, or are these Asia specific offerings? Somebody let me know!

Also, because Singapore is still 90 degrees, they have holiday Frappucinos as well. Please note the prices. Yikes! (Although, as a frame of reference, a grande brewed coffee is more than S$4.  Singapore is expensive, in case you hadn't gathered that by now!)