Blending Multicultures and Modernization

Boat Quay


Street near our hostel


Outside the Asian Civilizations Museum


Little India


Chinatown


Arab Street


Night shot


Hindu Temple


Dali


Whoa, how'd this one get in there? Just to bring the dramatisms to a crashing halt. . .

OK enough of Singapore! Pictures from our luxurious weekend at the spa coming up. . .

More Singapore

I love the place names in Singapore, from Clarke Quay, Orchid Road, and Dover, to Bencoolan Link to Tanjong Pagar to Sim Lim Square to Choa Chu Kang. The mixture of British, Malay, Indian, and Chinese just makes everything so much more interesting!

Henna from the markets in Little India

Hanging incense - I love the vibrant colours of this city

On the east side of Singapore, where many rich Chinese families settled in the 19th and 20th centuries, mostly from South China. This is me acting like the paparazzi, peaking through the bushes and praying the owners don't "release the hounds" :D

Outside one of the Arab bazaars

Gorgeous rugs in the bazaar! Tempting, but I had to decline as I forgot to bring my servant along to carry it back for me.

Ah, the Doctor's Office! I love this sign, although if you ask me, it's a tad redundant. . .

And now for some culinary treasures:









Black Pepper Crab on the East Coast!








Lovin' my Laksa - noodles in cocunut-curry soup with seafood mixed in. A Malay-Singaporean delight. All the local stall owners compete with one another to receive the honour of #1 Laksa every year, a competition that has bred the term "Laksa Wars", as well as one of the tastiest dishes I have eaten :D



Dim Sum in Chinatown - a quick afternoon snack before siesta!

Vibrant Singapore

OK now that computer #1 is up an running, it's time to post some pictures of Singapore! On the top - Sentosa Island off the south coast of Singapore; bottom left: the spires of the Sultan Mosque in the Arab quarter during Ramadan; very bottom: the colourful red lanterns in Chinatown for Mid-Autumn Festival; bottom right: Deepavali festivities in Little India - a very multicultural city! We came at a good time as well - on one hand it was October, so tourist season was mainly over, but on the other, all these colourful festivals were taking place so we got to experience the energy and diversity of this city minus tons of crowds.

Back from a Whirlwind Trip!!

I'm back from an impromptu trip to the colourful city of Singapore, a city that is also a country that is also an island! We got our passports back at the 11th hour and were on a plane a couple of days later, headed south to the fattest part of the Earth (the equator, in case you were wondering:)). Singapore ("The Lion's City") was vibrant, clean, bright and festive. A range of cultures, especially Indian, Chinese, Malay, Arab, blend together and make the city all the more interesting with festivals, temples, mosques, bazaars, music, and FOOD!! I think some of the dishes I dived into on this trip belong on my top ten list - laksa: a Malay dish - noodles served in coconut curry soup, often with seafood added; roti prata: a Singaporean-Indian dish - a type of pancake, often with onions and curry (and sometimes cheese!); and CRAB! We ate chilli crab and black pepper crab by the sea side - the first time I have ever eaten a crab. Just wonderful. We wore ourselves out on this trip, exploring the city from end to end during the day by foot and subway and taxi, trying out the nightlife, and napping here and there. I was worn out by the end and had to come back to my energetic and rowdy eighth-graders, most of whom were stuck doing homework for most of the break. . . so here I am to settle down into teaching for a few months, and then comes Chinese New Year in January! Of course, now that I have my passport in hand, nearby Hong Kong and Macau are open to exploration. . .
So my computer is still sick. Luckily I had (note the past tense here) my apartment computer, until I turned it on a few nights ago only to see the blue screen of death pop up. So now I have my office computer. . . and no pictures to post (except for the one I stole from Jen's flickr site). . . but they will come, I promise. I have a whole mitful! Time for some shui jiao (sleep)!

Some More Highlights. . .

Some more highlights this month:

Introducing my kids to Tom Cruise











Candy!!











It is Mid-Autumn Festival in China right now, so the whole country is on holiday. A much needed break from a hectic month of teaching!
Off on an adventure tomorrow - stay posted mes amis!!