I went to see a movie tonight with my German tourist friends from Melaka, the Bourne Ultimatum. Much fun was had by half of us, one girl from Britain prefers romantic comedies, and one German guy decided he likes Bruce Willis better. But, I thought it was fantastic! Lots of fast chase scenes, fight scenes, jumping around, clever traps, clever ways out of traps - really, a very well done movie, and I enjoyed every minute of it. The sound editing is pretty good, too, good enough that I actually noticed how good the sound editing was.
I really like Germans. I also like Austrians. I don't like Italians. I have decided that this is because Italians are too friendly. In a bad way. I have also realized that the reputation some Germans have for being stand-offish is probably deserved, but more than likely results from the shyness a lot of Germans have about their English. They're so much fun to hang out with when they're speaking their own language. Amazing how that happens. Of course, none of my jokes work in German, but I sure am learning a lot. I have learned a lot of fantastic new German phrases, too, to add to my collection from Austria. :)
All in all, it's shaping up to be quite the nice final week here in Singapore. Not only do I have my imminent return to look forward to, I have also done some fun stuff and met some very nice people in the process. What else could one ask for?
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
Music Lists
Music I want to buy when I have the money: I say 'buy' because I feel guilty about the amount of music on my computer for which I have no/never had a receipt. In my defense, I didn't 'liberate' it through file-sharing (although I think I might have a few old napster songs on here, from back before napster went all legit). Anyway, I feel better if I actually pay for things. :) Even if the bulk of the moolah does go to Sony, Corp.
- More Led Zeppelin
- More Green Day
- Justin Timberlake - I feel ambivalent about this because N'Sync was SO stupid, but his stuff as a solo artist is pretty good, I think
- Joni Mitchell
- Bob Dylan - especially the early acoustic stuff
- Jane Monheit
- Kate Nash - I recommend Merry Happy and Foundations. My favorite line from Merry Happy: "chatting with you on the phone, I won't regret those hours, because you can grow flowers, where dirt used to be." Brilliant!
- Plain White T's - Delilah is cool. Me likee.
- Birth of the Cool - I know it's an oldie, but it's classic, and if you were ever in a jazz band, Miles Davis will blow your mind.
- Jane Monheit - especially 'I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good' - fantastic!
- Falco - I know everyone knows Rock Me Amadeus, but he had other good stuff too
- Existential Blues - I think by Dr. Demento, I seem to have lost my copy. Anyway, it's stupid and hilarious
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Melaka
Dutch windmill - complete with palm trees.
I enjoyed Melaka, although it wasn't as interesting or as big as I had been led to believe by online and other sources. There was plenty of time to see everything I wanted to see in one day, so I came back on Saturday night instead of staying the night, and used Sunday for a Singapore picture taking day.
The influence of various groups of Europeans can be seen all over Melaka. There are some pictures that I took that really don't look like they're taken in Asia at all. Except for the flora, of course. The highlight of my day was going to St. Paul's church, which was really neat. It was delightfully ruined, lots of headstones, really dreary looks, with a cheerful, fun guitar player singing in Malay. Really the high point of the day, and I absolutely loved that and the Porta di Santiago, the leftovers from the Portuguese walls, saved by Sir Stamford Raffles, who really seemed to have gotten around in this part of the world. Other than that - Melaka is good for shopping, but I guess I'm just not that interested in Asian culture. My favorite parts of Melaka were the European parts.
I return home in a little over a week. It's close enough that I can just about taste it, but far enough away that I know it's going to drag. I have seen nearly everything I wanted to see (I still want to go to the Botanical Gardens and perhaps the Chinese and Japanese Gardens and take pictures - I'm told that the gardens are only of interest to botany and photography hobbyists, and I do like to take pictures - and it's free), I've done what I came to do, and I'm ready to leave. I think it would be more interesting here if I knew more people, but I don't particularly like hanging out with other Americans abroad, because they're annoying, and I haven't really been here long enough to meet many people anyway. So, I'll be glad to be back. But all in all, it was a alright for a summer job, I learned a lot, and I got to see and experience some really interesting and cool stuff. Chalk this experience up to more positives than negatives. :)
I enjoyed Melaka, although it wasn't as interesting or as big as I had been led to believe by online and other sources. There was plenty of time to see everything I wanted to see in one day, so I came back on Saturday night instead of staying the night, and used Sunday for a Singapore picture taking day.
The influence of various groups of Europeans can be seen all over Melaka. There are some pictures that I took that really don't look like they're taken in Asia at all. Except for the flora, of course. The highlight of my day was going to St. Paul's church, which was really neat. It was delightfully ruined, lots of headstones, really dreary looks, with a cheerful, fun guitar player singing in Malay. Really the high point of the day, and I absolutely loved that and the Porta di Santiago, the leftovers from the Portuguese walls, saved by Sir Stamford Raffles, who really seemed to have gotten around in this part of the world. Other than that - Melaka is good for shopping, but I guess I'm just not that interested in Asian culture. My favorite parts of Melaka were the European parts.
I return home in a little over a week. It's close enough that I can just about taste it, but far enough away that I know it's going to drag. I have seen nearly everything I wanted to see (I still want to go to the Botanical Gardens and perhaps the Chinese and Japanese Gardens and take pictures - I'm told that the gardens are only of interest to botany and photography hobbyists, and I do like to take pictures - and it's free), I've done what I came to do, and I'm ready to leave. I think it would be more interesting here if I knew more people, but I don't particularly like hanging out with other Americans abroad, because they're annoying, and I haven't really been here long enough to meet many people anyway. So, I'll be glad to be back. But all in all, it was a alright for a summer job, I learned a lot, and I got to see and experience some really interesting and cool stuff. Chalk this experience up to more positives than negatives. :)
Friday, August 17, 2007
Sentosa, Part II
So this time, we steered clear of the Merlion. Honestly, how could something that big and impressive looking be such a rip-off? Anyway, we started with the 4D Magix and Cineblast things, which the boys enjoyed immensely. Best part was when Leslie Nielsen spit on the screen (3D glasses), a little water spigot in the seat in front of us sprayed us with water. Leslie Nielsen and one of the Python guys (who played a French pirate) totally phoned in their performances. I wonder how much they got paid for them?
We got to go on the luge for an hour uninterrupted. Most fun - even though it started pouring on our way back up on one run and soaked through our clothes. I would rather be soaked through because of rain than sweat, though, so it was okay by me. The miniature golf course was awful! I have never been on such a terrible course before. We actually had to skip a hole because there was too much bird offal on the course. GROSS. Fort Siloso was fun, and the boys enjoyed the giant guns. I was rather impressed as well, but not much could stand against the Japanese juggernaut in 1942, so it fell, just like everyone else did.
Last night, there were two cartoon re-runs. It's bad enough that I'm forced to listen to cartoons for a couple hours of my day (I don't let them watch them when I'm in charge, but their father finds it a convenient baby-sitting tool) if I want to sit in the living room or dining room. Unfortunately, the boys don't remember the cartoons they watch, so they watched two re-runs yesterday without realizing at all that they were re-runs even when I pointed it out and told them what was going to happen next. I hate bad cartoons. Tom & Jerry still rocks, though. :)
We got to go on the luge for an hour uninterrupted. Most fun - even though it started pouring on our way back up on one run and soaked through our clothes. I would rather be soaked through because of rain than sweat, though, so it was okay by me. The miniature golf course was awful! I have never been on such a terrible course before. We actually had to skip a hole because there was too much bird offal on the course. GROSS. Fort Siloso was fun, and the boys enjoyed the giant guns. I was rather impressed as well, but not much could stand against the Japanese juggernaut in 1942, so it fell, just like everyone else did.
Last night, there were two cartoon re-runs. It's bad enough that I'm forced to listen to cartoons for a couple hours of my day (I don't let them watch them when I'm in charge, but their father finds it a convenient baby-sitting tool) if I want to sit in the living room or dining room. Unfortunately, the boys don't remember the cartoons they watch, so they watched two re-runs yesterday without realizing at all that they were re-runs even when I pointed it out and told them what was going to happen next. I hate bad cartoons. Tom & Jerry still rocks, though. :)
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
'Budget' vs. 'budget'
I am going to Melaka this weekend, and I have just booked my hostel for the night I'll be there. It cost me $5.39. No joke. It looks clean, has good reviews, and is on the studentuniverse site, so I figure it's probably a perfectly acceptable hostel. I've never had any problems with studentuniverse endorsed hostels, and in fact, when I had the opportunity to compare notes with other travelers about their hostels, the studentuniverse hostels usually were better for the same price.
When I was planning my trip, the boys' father suggested a nice hotel in Melaka that he called a 'Budget hotel.' He said, "I think you can get a room for under $50/night. Really quite reasonable." $50?? $50 is a lot of money! I will pay $50 for a good pair of shoes, or perhaps for a truly well-made piece of clothing. I might even pay $50 for a ticket (I would have shelled out $50 for Ian McKellan playing King Lear here in Singapore, but unfortunately, it was already sold out except for the $200 seats, which made it a moot point since I can't afford $200 seats at all). But, I will, under no circumstances, pay $50 for a hotel outside of the United States. Hostels are gross in the US, so I will spring for a hotel if I have to at home. But outside of the US, most backpacking hostels are perfectly acceptable, clean alternatives. And it's just sleep - my bed would probably be just as lumpy in the other hotel. I can sleep anywhere anyway.
Tomorrow, we're going back to Sentosa. We were thinking of doing the 'swimming with the dolphins' package. Then I looked on their website and realized that for 3 people, there is a Trio Package of S$425 to swim with the pink dolphins here. This is a savings of S$25 from paying for three people individually at S$150/per person. So, we're going to watch a movie instead.
Tonight at dinner, their father was talking about a new electronic Chinese language dictionary that he bought. He said the salesmen were trying to sell him the cheaper model, but he opted for the more expensive one. He said, "It was only S$100 more." I don't think I've ever said that in my life. What gets me about that sort of cavalier approach to money is that he's such a tightwad about anything the boys and I use, but it's okay to splurge when it's for his own use (seriously, he won't buy me the granola cereal I like because he thinks I should eat the cereal he buys for the boys. I hate shredded wheat).
Both of these brought me back to the question of budget, and what exactly it means in an individual context. To me, $5 is a fairly significant amount of money, but not enough to freak out over, and I've never been much for coupon cuttings. But starting at $10, I start getting antsy, and something has to be really worth it for me to shell out more than that. I will pay for good chocolate. The imported organic European dark chocolate at the grocery store costs S$6. I pay for that - Asian chocolate has the consistency of melting rubber.
But I hope that, no matter what job I get, or what happens to me in the future, I always remember how I used to laugh at a $50/night hotel being in any way 'budget.'
When I was planning my trip, the boys' father suggested a nice hotel in Melaka that he called a 'Budget hotel.' He said, "I think you can get a room for under $50/night. Really quite reasonable." $50?? $50 is a lot of money! I will pay $50 for a good pair of shoes, or perhaps for a truly well-made piece of clothing. I might even pay $50 for a ticket (I would have shelled out $50 for Ian McKellan playing King Lear here in Singapore, but unfortunately, it was already sold out except for the $200 seats, which made it a moot point since I can't afford $200 seats at all). But, I will, under no circumstances, pay $50 for a hotel outside of the United States. Hostels are gross in the US, so I will spring for a hotel if I have to at home. But outside of the US, most backpacking hostels are perfectly acceptable, clean alternatives. And it's just sleep - my bed would probably be just as lumpy in the other hotel. I can sleep anywhere anyway.
Tomorrow, we're going back to Sentosa. We were thinking of doing the 'swimming with the dolphins' package. Then I looked on their website and realized that for 3 people, there is a Trio Package of S$425 to swim with the pink dolphins here. This is a savings of S$25 from paying for three people individually at S$150/per person. So, we're going to watch a movie instead.
Tonight at dinner, their father was talking about a new electronic Chinese language dictionary that he bought. He said the salesmen were trying to sell him the cheaper model, but he opted for the more expensive one. He said, "It was only S$100 more." I don't think I've ever said that in my life. What gets me about that sort of cavalier approach to money is that he's such a tightwad about anything the boys and I use, but it's okay to splurge when it's for his own use (seriously, he won't buy me the granola cereal I like because he thinks I should eat the cereal he buys for the boys. I hate shredded wheat).
Both of these brought me back to the question of budget, and what exactly it means in an individual context. To me, $5 is a fairly significant amount of money, but not enough to freak out over, and I've never been much for coupon cuttings. But starting at $10, I start getting antsy, and something has to be really worth it for me to shell out more than that. I will pay for good chocolate. The imported organic European dark chocolate at the grocery store costs S$6. I pay for that - Asian chocolate has the consistency of melting rubber.
But I hope that, no matter what job I get, or what happens to me in the future, I always remember how I used to laugh at a $50/night hotel being in any way 'budget.'
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
goodbye, Patch
Today, H. got the news that his pet rat, Patch, has died, probably of a brain tumor. This made him quite sad all day, so he got a piece of chocolate and cancellation of long division for today. It's not every day your first pet dies on you.
He was a stinky, nasty, long-hairless-tailed rat, but he was Henri's rat, and that's what mattered. So, goodbye Patch - I hope you have no idea that your body is now living in a freezer, awaiting pet cremation. That would just not be cool.
Note: I don't really like this whole pet cremation thing, or this trend towards spending billions of dollars on pets. I'm attached to my beautiful Caesar, but I don't buy him those massive giant cat play dealios. I certainly won't be cremating him when he dies. He'll be buried in a cardboard box with holes poked in it for faster decomposition, just like every other pet I've had. I'll probably plant some sort of pretty bush or tree on top of his grave to remember him by. But pet cremation? It's like $100. That's a lot of money, just to keep a pet's ashes. Thoughts?
He was a stinky, nasty, long-hairless-tailed rat, but he was Henri's rat, and that's what mattered. So, goodbye Patch - I hope you have no idea that your body is now living in a freezer, awaiting pet cremation. That would just not be cool.
Note: I don't really like this whole pet cremation thing, or this trend towards spending billions of dollars on pets. I'm attached to my beautiful Caesar, but I don't buy him those massive giant cat play dealios. I certainly won't be cremating him when he dies. He'll be buried in a cardboard box with holes poked in it for faster decomposition, just like every other pet I've had. I'll probably plant some sort of pretty bush or tree on top of his grave to remember him by. But pet cremation? It's like $100. That's a lot of money, just to keep a pet's ashes. Thoughts?
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