recently read....

Troll: A Love story by Johanna Sinisalo
A fantastic book which Minna recommended. A pretty surreal romance with some interesting observations on how we exploit nature and tend to treat people like animals and animals like people...





Crooked Little Vein, by Warren Ellis
A great, but highly highly weird book. Journeys through the stranger parts of American counter culture (especially strange sex fetishes). Hard to explain it in a way that does it justice, but I liked it....

Things I'm reading....

Notes from an even smaller island
A Bill Bryson like series of anecdotes written by a British guy who lived in Singapore for five years. I borrowed this from Thomas and its quite fun to dip into every now and then. Its written for both expats and Singaporeans, providing funny tales of strange Singaporean behaviours, customs and encounters, as well as a fair few 'dumb Ang Moh' (dumb white guy) stories.

Also explains some aspects of Singaporean behaviour like Kiasu (something like fear of failure, often at the expense of others)



In the Miso Soup, by Ryu Murakami
I got this partly because I've had good experiences with Japanese writes called Murakami...
I'm only halfway through now, but its quite a gripping wander around the seedy sex districts of Tokyo, which isn't something I immediately associate with Japan. Liking it so far...

very Singaporean....

just an observation from my Arnis class today...

We have the class in the main courtyard of a CC (community center) and there's a walkway around the outside, with rooms on three sides and a car park on the other side. For some reason, despite the fact that there are 15 (sweaty) people swinging sticks around and generally not looking around them too much, most of the other users of the CC just walk right through the middle of the courtyard to get to their cars... they seem completely oblivious that they are in real danger of being hit (accidentally of course) by sticks... The also don't notice (or respond) to the whole class stopping and staring angrily at them.

(I've managed to resist the temptation to hit/yell at them so far, but its only a matter of time)

I'm sooo dumb (part 2)

Just got into my apartment. Have discovered that although my condo has 6-7 security guards, none of them have keycards for the apartments...

Eventually managed to get in touch with my landlady, who was wonderful and came over and gave me her key. She was very nice about it and thought the whole thing was hysterical... (especially that I've already managed to lose both of my keycards)

now I just have to sleep off my hangover....

I'm so dumb, sake is so evil....

I'm such a dumbass.... went out last night with the Russians, went to a great Japanese barbecue place (there's a little bowl of charcoal in the middle of the table, you cook your own food). Drank way too much Sake (which seems to have a delayed action on me.) Got horribly drunk, lost wallet in either the restaurant or taxi. As a consequence today I have 1. a huge hangover 2. no credit cards 3. no way of getting into my apartment (key card was in my wallet)....

Fortunately Snezhka let me sleep (pass out) at her place and lent me some money this morning, so I wasn't totally screwed....

Went to the bank this morning to cancel my cards, and happily discovered that they could give me a new ATM card on the spot, so at least I can get some money out. Now I just have to see if I can persuade the condo people to let me into my flat. Could also do with trying to find the landlady and asking him if he has a spare key card (as I've already lost both of the ones he gave me).....

am sooo dumb....

Nachen

No particular reason from this pic, just took a picture of my student, Nachen and thought it was funny, so figured I'd post it before I lose it.

Alien autopsy part II

Got some rambutans today. I remember having a few of them ten years ago while I was here. Like dragon fruit the look really strange. Very soft and hairy. Inside, the flesh is quite firm, a bit like a peeled grape, the texture is kind of like a lychee, but they have much more of a sweet orange/tangerine flavour. Now I have 1kg of them in my fridge which are coming into work to me tomorrow...

Marketing....

During my wanderings I passed a few fruit stalls and decided to pick up some fruit. I accidentally got collared by the most efficient fruit salesman I've ever seen.. I wanted: one pack of melon slices and a few rambutans (see next post). I ended up with: 3 packs of melon slices (only 3 dollars... one didn't seem to be an option with him) and 1kg of rambutans (I was lucky I didn't get 3kg "only 6 dollars"). The guy was impressive, I already had the bags of fruit in my hand by the time the protest came out....

Also stumbled across a great bunch of hawker stalls. These places are great, you would never dream of eating somewhere like this in europe. Lots of tiny stalls with a few plastic garden chairs outside. Here though, the food is great, safe and costs nothing. Had some wonderful satay... cost 30 cents a stick (6 for S$2... so one euro). Had to take a picture. Should have taken one of the cook as well, they have a charcoal stove which they grill the sticks on while you wait.... Great, almost caramelized chicken or beef with amazing peanut sauce. Yum Yum Yum..

Also had water melon juice (water melon blended with ice) which is unbelievable refreshing...

strangest vending machine purchase....

Got a bit lost (got on the wrong bus), ended up wandering around Clementi (quite near my place).

Went past this place and decided I needed a hair cut. Probably one of the strangest experiences I've had here. Its a cross between an express hairdresser and a vending machine. You go in, buy a card from the vending machine (S$10 for a haircut), then give it to a hairdresser.





It was surprising fast (S$10/10min) as they advertise. Don't think the end result was too bad either. The best bit was at the end, instead of brushing the hair off you they pull down a long vacuum hose with a brush end on and suck your head clean....