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| Marina Bay View |
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| Marina Bay - lazer/light show |
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| Marina Bay |
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| Clark Quay - beneath the giant sun umbrellas |
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| Clark Quay |
Tuesday 31 May 2011
More Photos of the Bay and the Quay
Monday - back to work
Today we were back in the office, although the day began with a meeting at the Biopolis research park in preparation for a booth we will be running for a sustainability convention.
I arrived early, as I wake up everyday early and like to get a move on things, and treated myself to a kopi (milk coffee) and what I thought was carrot cake. In fact it was called carrot cake, however, the doe was made of fish ball, and so after a nibble, I could go no further. Back in the office I dove into work on the organization, and creation of the booth we will be running at Singapore International Water Week. This little project will probably take up the remainder of my week. Photos of this all will be posted once available. After work my little marketing team went to a hawker food court for happy hour and dinner. I had a few Tiger beers with Henry, and as usual tried a new plate of something. Rice, chicken and something yummy and something? Such is the way here. Point, point, point...guess and check. Not really sure how else to do it sometimes. I insist on eating local and trying everything, however, sometimes this method results in discovering fish ball.
Today's only downer is housing problems.There is a delay on when I can move in, so this means I will have to change hostels for a few days while waiting. This isn't the worst thing in the world because you get to me so many interesting peoples, here perspectives from cultures around the world, and live and experience different quarters. However, being a place for a few months would be simpler in one place. No matter, this will give me a great opportunity to live in the infamous Clark's Quay and Colonial Quarter.
Singapore fun fact day 7: Average temperature is consistent between lows around 23c and highs of 31c...that's the equator for ya!
I arrived early, as I wake up everyday early and like to get a move on things, and treated myself to a kopi (milk coffee) and what I thought was carrot cake. In fact it was called carrot cake, however, the doe was made of fish ball, and so after a nibble, I could go no further. Back in the office I dove into work on the organization, and creation of the booth we will be running at Singapore International Water Week. This little project will probably take up the remainder of my week. Photos of this all will be posted once available. After work my little marketing team went to a hawker food court for happy hour and dinner. I had a few Tiger beers with Henry, and as usual tried a new plate of something. Rice, chicken and something yummy and something? Such is the way here. Point, point, point...guess and check. Not really sure how else to do it sometimes. I insist on eating local and trying everything, however, sometimes this method results in discovering fish ball.
Today's only downer is housing problems.There is a delay on when I can move in, so this means I will have to change hostels for a few days while waiting. This isn't the worst thing in the world because you get to me so many interesting peoples, here perspectives from cultures around the world, and live and experience different quarters. However, being a place for a few months would be simpler in one place. No matter, this will give me a great opportunity to live in the infamous Clark's Quay and Colonial Quarter.
Singapore fun fact day 7: Average temperature is consistent between lows around 23c and highs of 31c...that's the equator for ya!
Monday 30 May 2011
National Singapore Museum Day!
National Singapore Museum day, all free including audio guides. Love this country. So the obvious thing to do today was check out the National Museum of Singapore - an history of the island and country. Let me fill you in...
Singapore was founded in the 14th century by a Prince who saw a lion...supposedly. But if you have been reading my blog than you already know that. A number of kingdoms and peoples ruled the islands until Sir Thomas Raffles entered the picture. This Brit was a statesman, and a wise one, looking for a trade port in which to have a presence and exercise control of the Malay Straights. In 1819 he came upon Singapore, and the rest is history. Though trade was at first free to all nations, a treaty was eventually signed giving the British exclusive rights in 1826. The very law-abiding nation we know today, however, was apparently nothing of the sort back then. Until 1867 Singapore was ruled out of India and until finally the crown in England agreed to it as a colony. The period was marked by lawlessness and violence. Singapore by this time had already become a key piece in the region for trade, but with the creation of the Suez canal in 1869 and the steamboat soon thereafter, business and trade received a giant boost in terms of proximity to Europe and the ability to run year round including monsoon season.
Many problems however continued to exist. Opium use, sponsored by the Brits nonetheless, hampered migrant workers, as did prostitution, alcohol and gambling. Secret societies became commonplace in this time period, not only for protection, but also for a sense of belonging.
By the 20th century Singapore had grown. Banks, finance, business, and trade had yielded a need for more educated Asians. Government supported schools arose whereas before missionaries and philanthropists were the common education sponsors. Soon many Chinese and others were becoming educated and forming gentlemen's clubs, reading rooms and receiving international newspapers. Still, racism played a role in society - no matter how much advancement people made, you were still either European/white, or you weren't. This was felt in the 1915 when and Indian-soldier mutiny occurred in the British army on the island.
In 1942, the Japanese attacked and occupied Japan. The humiliated British were out, POWs were sent off to camps, as were many of the islands Chinese men 18-50. The Chinese cleansing (cleansing also included communists, sympathisers and others) in total saw an estimated 50,000 killed. The war ended and the British reattained Singapore, the given the racial strife in the past amongst other things, their rule would not go on much longer. In 1959 Singapore elected its first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, who with his PAP would reshape a nation, taking it from 3rd world to 1st (perhaps even the 1st country in the world!). The 1960s began with building, building flats and industrializing in particular at Jurong Industrial Estate. Led by the Finance Minister the country prospered and began its transforming...and today the country still grows and prospers.
A new exhibit on the past 50 years of industrialisation and modernization of Singapore will be in the museum on June 15. I cannot wait!
Singapore fun fact day 6 - this entire blog is a fun fact.
Singapore was founded in the 14th century by a Prince who saw a lion...supposedly. But if you have been reading my blog than you already know that. A number of kingdoms and peoples ruled the islands until Sir Thomas Raffles entered the picture. This Brit was a statesman, and a wise one, looking for a trade port in which to have a presence and exercise control of the Malay Straights. In 1819 he came upon Singapore, and the rest is history. Though trade was at first free to all nations, a treaty was eventually signed giving the British exclusive rights in 1826. The very law-abiding nation we know today, however, was apparently nothing of the sort back then. Until 1867 Singapore was ruled out of India and until finally the crown in England agreed to it as a colony. The period was marked by lawlessness and violence. Singapore by this time had already become a key piece in the region for trade, but with the creation of the Suez canal in 1869 and the steamboat soon thereafter, business and trade received a giant boost in terms of proximity to Europe and the ability to run year round including monsoon season.
Many problems however continued to exist. Opium use, sponsored by the Brits nonetheless, hampered migrant workers, as did prostitution, alcohol and gambling. Secret societies became commonplace in this time period, not only for protection, but also for a sense of belonging.
By the 20th century Singapore had grown. Banks, finance, business, and trade had yielded a need for more educated Asians. Government supported schools arose whereas before missionaries and philanthropists were the common education sponsors. Soon many Chinese and others were becoming educated and forming gentlemen's clubs, reading rooms and receiving international newspapers. Still, racism played a role in society - no matter how much advancement people made, you were still either European/white, or you weren't. This was felt in the 1915 when and Indian-soldier mutiny occurred in the British army on the island.
In 1942, the Japanese attacked and occupied Japan. The humiliated British were out, POWs were sent off to camps, as were many of the islands Chinese men 18-50. The Chinese cleansing (cleansing also included communists, sympathisers and others) in total saw an estimated 50,000 killed. The war ended and the British reattained Singapore, the given the racial strife in the past amongst other things, their rule would not go on much longer. In 1959 Singapore elected its first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, who with his PAP would reshape a nation, taking it from 3rd world to 1st (perhaps even the 1st country in the world!). The 1960s began with building, building flats and industrializing in particular at Jurong Industrial Estate. Led by the Finance Minister the country prospered and began its transforming...and today the country still grows and prospers.
A new exhibit on the past 50 years of industrialisation and modernization of Singapore will be in the museum on June 15. I cannot wait!
Singapore fun fact day 6 - this entire blog is a fun fact.
One Crazy Saturday!
As usual I was up at 7. I begin my adventures as Chris tourist. I took the MRT (subway - which extends above ground once out of the downtown areas) to the Singapore Science Museum to meet Henry and Meghan. It was a neat, very interactive museum which included a variety of activities involving mechanics, electricity, as well as some very neat high tech stuff which included motion detector technology amongst others. There was also an expo for young and collegiate inventors which was also mind blowing. Math and science in the US really lag! These kids put together some amazing stuff.
To the left - durians
By this time we were all hot, a little red, and ready for a drink, so Daniel took us to the quay for happy hour. A good chat ensued with a great view. Dinner we had in the oldest market in Singapore. Lamb and chicken kabobs grilled and served with peanut sauce. I had some sort of baked goods, fried banana, and a ice kopi for desert.
Finally, we went down the marina bay to catch a glimpse of the city by night, and ended up sitting for hours. A truly lovely view that no words can explain, no pictures can do justice, no replicated experience can potray. With lights so virbrant, water so calm, noise so absent, temperature just perfect, we just sat and sayt and took it all in on the riverwalk that lines the bay. A lazer and light show capped off the evening in the bay.
What a day, what a night, what a city, what a life!
Singapore fun fact day number "I don't remember I am too hot and delirous" - though I make light of caning above, legends and rumors are precisly that. Caning should by no means define this amazing city.
In the early afternoon, I then headed over to the Chinese Gardens solo to take a stroll. The vegetation was lovely, but the real highlight was the towers that have been constructed on site. I climbed the towers and had a nice stroll, but let me tell, an hour and then some under the midday sun at the equator is just damn hot. I was dripping head to toe. Absolutely drenched. And I am sure I smelled great. That's the thing, you wake up in the morning, take a shower and feel great for about 2 seconds, and then after those two seconds you step our of the shower and once again it is 100 degrees a nasty does of humidity.
The action continued after lunch in Chinatown where I met up with Henry, Meghan, and Daniel. In future blogs I will explain the how the various quarters of the city are set up. In Chinatown we walked around the streets and shops which line the original colonial homes - homes that were settlements of the British before the Chinese later settled the neighborhood. I drank a sugrarcane concacted drink, tried durian, a very special and wierd local fruit/delacay, had myself whiped with a cane, twice for good measure, and investigated some serious hand held fans. Seriously, I was caned, but with a very small-dumbed down version. We also stopped by the oldest Hindu temple on the island.
To the left - duriansBy this time we were all hot, a little red, and ready for a drink, so Daniel took us to the quay for happy hour. A good chat ensued with a great view. Dinner we had in the oldest market in Singapore. Lamb and chicken kabobs grilled and served with peanut sauce. I had some sort of baked goods, fried banana, and a ice kopi for desert.
Finally, we went down the marina bay to catch a glimpse of the city by night, and ended up sitting for hours. A truly lovely view that no words can explain, no pictures can do justice, no replicated experience can potray. With lights so virbrant, water so calm, noise so absent, temperature just perfect, we just sat and sayt and took it all in on the riverwalk that lines the bay. A lazer and light show capped off the evening in the bay.
What a day, what a night, what a city, what a life!
Singapore fun fact day number "I don't remember I am too hot and delirous" - though I make light of caning above, legends and rumors are precisly that. Caning should by no means define this amazing city.
One heck of a Friday!
It was the best of days, it was the worst of days….
Where is the juicy stuff you ask? Friday, the mayhem began. I am still at the hostel and since I am the first one up always, my daily routine is to get ready and pack up my stuff in the dark as to not disturb the others in the room. After bumbling through this morning task, I headed out to the office. The day prior I had a meeting to obtain my working pass. Of course I was missing a document and had to return the next day, and of course that document was across town locked in my desk at work. So I went to work. 1 hour of transport (yes, even with a great transport system it takes a while, city of 5 million folks). I worked for 2 hours and then went for a follow up appointment about my pass (45 minutes of transport). And back – add on 45 minutes. The good news is that I got my pass and so I will indeed be paid! At the end of this blog also see some pics of the downtown/colonial area.
So by now I am a little tired, a little sweaty, and a little hungry because I haven’t eaten yet due to my malaria medication. No, I don’t have, which this is preventative medication. Back a bit early from my appointment I sat down for lunch in the cafeteria. Now if you know me, you know part of traveling is not only experiences with the eyes, but with the mouth and stomach as well. So at the lunch cafeteria, I picture ordered what I thought was Asian meat balls and noodles. No, no, oh no. Fish balls and some very suspect noodle/broth combo. I was sick immediately, could not stomach it though I tried.
Back to work then until…2 hours later I suddenly got very red and very hot all over. Allergic reaction. How exciting for day 3 on the job. So I hiked across campus sweating like champion to the wellness center arriving in a steamy sweat, red hot as a chillybad, itching like a bad encounter with poison ivy. Fish ball soup.
Here is the culprit.
Now given the fact that I had an allergic reaction, I decided not to take part in fish head curry with the others. But it looked awesome. The evidence is above. The food was great, unbelievable to eat of a giant leaf. Our friend Daniel luckily new all the tricks of eating hot curry and advised us to drink lime juice with it. Next time you eat spicy food, you must try lime juice avec.
Finally, afterwards, he took us to grab the traditional coffee of Singapore, milk coffee called Kopi. Great stuff. Dare I say on par with the coffee in Italy or France? Is Singapore hotter than the face of the sun? I declare this coffee King of Coffee!
I am gassed. It was a long week, a long day, a sick day, gluttonous day, busy day. Tomorrow, I embrace tourism.
Singapore fun fact day 4: Lee Kuan Yew was the countries first Prime Minister, taking power in 1959, a position which he held until 1990. His son the current Prime Minister.
Friday 27 May 2011
More about SDWA and my internship
You may all be wondering just exactly what the Singapore-Delft Water Alliance is and does. If you are interested please see these two links.
SDWA home
About SDWA
In short the Singapore-Delft Water Alliance SDWA can be described as follows. SDWA is multi-national, interdisciplinary research Centre of Excellence for Water Knowledge involving PUB (Singapore), National University of Singapore and Deltares (The Netherlands), established through an initiative of the National Research Foundation in Singapore. SDWA is hosted by National University of Singapore and provides research home to scientists and engineers from all partner organizations.
SDWA research agenda adopts systemic approach to the water problem and addresses entire hydrological cycle in an interconnected fashion. The research agenda encompasses interaction of natural and artificial (man made) worlds so that urban water cycle and water supply form an integral part of our research activities. SDWA places strong emphasis to the information cycle in respect of water cycle through smart sensing of aquatic environment, intelligent data processing, as well as deterministic, self-learning and adaptive modeling.
Let me reiterate for a moment exactly what our student marketing team is working on. The grand opening we on working towards is the grand opening of the Aquatic Science Center as Pandan. This is one of nine major research projects that SDWA is working on and the focus of our marketing efforts. This opening will be in conjunction with the annual Singapore International Water Week. This will be the second focus of our marketing efforts. We will be designing the SDWA booth. At both events the invite list consist of professors/Deans from NUS & other countries, CEO’s/directors of Asian corporations, Government officials, international water/environmental industry leaders, and other highly ranked personnel.
So, the marketing and marketing communications work we will be doing will serve namely the grand opening of the aquatic center, and also the water week booth.
Thursday 26 May 2011
Follow up photos of greens and transit
NUS campus where I work
This is so high tech! They have an EZ pass card here you can buy, and simply put funds on it as you go. You simply place your card on the censor as seen in the photo, and insert money or credit into the machine, and it puts funds on to your card, or as they say here "tops it up." Fares are all calculated by distance, so you end up paying for exactly what you use. Pretty neat, and also pretty cheap!
Transit
Underground terminal, clean as a whistle, high-tech, promt, and AC cranking! Though you can't see it here, government messages are everywhere.
Singapore fun fact day 3: Singapore began self-governing in 1959.
Getting to Know Singapore
In the next few posts, I will begin to describe daily life in Singapore.
Transport
I am slowly getting used to Singapore, though this is only my second full day. Everyone here is extremely nice, helpful and friendly. I was surprised just how nice the people are. Everyone goes out of their way to help you find your way and answer questions. One guy saw that I was lost and walked me clear across campus yesterday! Singapore has 4.5 million people. Chicago for example also has a huge population, but the people of Chicago nation are not as kind.
Speaking of getting around, here is how it is done. Check out this link: http://www.gothere.sg/maps
Every seen such a cool aide for travel? Type in NUS for example (which is where I work) to say zoo for example (i.e. NUS to zoo). Public transport here is so well organized, efficient, quick, and cheap!
Here is a pic of the MRT (subway system). Looks like a monorail! The buses branch of from MRT stops and come every few minutes. Lines queue as seen in this photo. Between the “monorail” and queuing for buses, I kind of feel like I am in Disney World.
Urban Rainforest
Singapore has the world’s only urban rainforest which I will be visiting soon! According to my guide book, there are more types of vegetation on Singapore than in the entirety of North America. NUS (National University of Singapore) where I work, is not technically a rainforest anymore due to urbanization, however, I snapped some photos of the vegetation, so have a look.
Wednesday 25 May 2011
Interning Begins
Today, I was very excited to get to the job and begin. After navigating the brilliant public transportation system of Singapore (and I really do mean that, it's a well organized system of trains and buses), I arrived at the HQ for the Singapore-Delft Water Alliance which is located at the National University of Singapore.
Here is the office where two other students from UW-Whitewater and myself will be working. Over the next few weeks we will be working on a variety of marketing projects in preparation for the grand opening of an interactive center, and for the promotion of the Singapore-Delft Water Alliance: designing the program poster, preparing the "grand moment" or in other words the event or ceremony to take place instead of the traditional ribbon cutting, creating the program brochure, enhancing all marketing communications (e.g. facebook, interactive website etc.), and creating a promotional booth for the SDWA for water week in July. Our 3-man team (technically 2 guys and a girl) are beginning with the program poster...
Travel - day 2
More traveling. Bus, plane, and now another 8 hours of plane. Still exhausted. Very weak, very feeble. As soon as I sat down on the half-full United Airline (and by the way ANA the first flight I took, awesome service, food and comfort) I fell asleep in spite of the extremely uncomfortable United seats.
Side note: my flight rankings for overseas flights
1. ANA
2. Air France
3. Virgin Atlantic
4. British Airways
5. NOT United
Anyways, I skipped the meal, skipped the films, skipped it all and slept. Upon arrival I admit I was quite nervous, having to enter a new country and continent. The customs form comes complete with the warning, “Penalty of Death for Drug Trafficking.” Taxis were also reported to be suspect when foreigners make it clear they don’t know where they are going. So after clearing customs and getting a cab, I did my best to sound like I knew where I was going, which was a hostel in the middle of the city. The drive through the city was amazing. A city of life and colors everywhere. And this was 1AM! The down town was lit in amazing splendor, and the architecture of the buildings that comprises the downtown is as impressive as any designs as I have seen.
The hostel itself…well I found it, because I had the address. In fact, it not marked at all aside from the address. It is called Smeet Family Home Hostel. Apparently it’s just that, a family named Smeet lives there and rents out rooms as hostels. I was just glad to find it, get off the streets and crash. Comfy bed, AC, the rest…well its cheap and it will work for one week until I move in with the others. More to come on that.
Singapore fun fact day 2: in 1819 Sir Stamford Raffles arrived in Singapore on a mission to find a trading site. He convinced the people of Singapore to sign a treaty giving the British exclusive trade rights. By 1824, the East India Company secured undisputed legal rule of the island.
Travel - day 1
Day 1:
Up at 4:30, said goodbye to my sweetie P Sarah and took a 2 hour bus to O’Hare. Now, I backpack. Do not check luggage, especially going abroad. Why? The hassle - too many trains, buses, taxis, walking, exploration, and unplanned changes make the backpack, the ideal way to go. One backpack - plenty. Only problem with this little plan of action is that airlines will weigh your bag to make sure it's under the weight limit for carry-ons. In this case it was 10kg. There is of course a way around this - you are also allowed a personal item, so empty all heavy items in a second bag for the weigh in. I passed at 9.4 kg, and then proceeded to put everything back in the original backpack.
The flight itself, not bad. Ate two meals, drank a bunch of water, read all about Singapore, and watched three films: the King's Speech, Cinderella Man, and Young Victoria. All were excellent. I also happened to have the window seat so looking at Japan out the window as we arrived was really quite cool. All the fields were glistening, shiny, silver. Of course these weren't fields of crops as we know, but fields of water for rice cultivation. Beautiful countryside, unfortunately that will have to be another trip. When I arrived in Tokyo 14 hours later I was beat. I traded some currency, and ate some sort of Japanese dish (don't know what it was, but it was excellent). It contained rice and some flavor, and meat and eggs. That was all I could handle. I found a spot near my next departure gate, laid down and took a nap.
Singapore fun fact day 1: Singapore is named such because Malay legend Sumatran Prince Sang Nila Utama saw a tiger on the island while sheltering from a storm - this was apparently a good omen that prompted the Prince to found a city there called Singapura (Lion City). Fun fact 1a: it is highly unlikely lions ever lived on the island.
Up at 4:30, said goodbye to my sweetie P Sarah and took a 2 hour bus to O’Hare. Now, I backpack. Do not check luggage, especially going abroad. Why? The hassle - too many trains, buses, taxis, walking, exploration, and unplanned changes make the backpack, the ideal way to go. One backpack - plenty. Only problem with this little plan of action is that airlines will weigh your bag to make sure it's under the weight limit for carry-ons. In this case it was 10kg. There is of course a way around this - you are also allowed a personal item, so empty all heavy items in a second bag for the weigh in. I passed at 9.4 kg, and then proceeded to put everything back in the original backpack.
The flight itself, not bad. Ate two meals, drank a bunch of water, read all about Singapore, and watched three films: the King's Speech, Cinderella Man, and Young Victoria. All were excellent. I also happened to have the window seat so looking at Japan out the window as we arrived was really quite cool. All the fields were glistening, shiny, silver. Of course these weren't fields of crops as we know, but fields of water for rice cultivation. Beautiful countryside, unfortunately that will have to be another trip. When I arrived in Tokyo 14 hours later I was beat. I traded some currency, and ate some sort of Japanese dish (don't know what it was, but it was excellent). It contained rice and some flavor, and meat and eggs. That was all I could handle. I found a spot near my next departure gate, laid down and took a nap.
Singapore fun fact day 1: Singapore is named such because Malay legend Sumatran Prince Sang Nila Utama saw a tiger on the island while sheltering from a storm - this was apparently a good omen that prompted the Prince to found a city there called Singapura (Lion City). Fun fact 1a: it is highly unlikely lions ever lived on the island.
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