Singapore Fling

I've had a brief fling with Singapore. After just 7 days in Sydney, I was sent off packing to Singapore, Singapore for 3 days of training (my brain is full).

At the airport I noticed that everyone was carrying Krispy Kreme donuts (that’s from North Carolina, y'all) onto the plane. Not just a donut, mind you, but boxes - dozens & dozens of donuts.

People were wondering why I took this picture.

Arriving in Singapore

Singapore has 4 official languages - English, Malay, Tamil, and Chinese

Immigrating (sorta)

Singapore is a city-state (one of only three including Monaco and Vatican City) and is the largest. I’ve been to two of the three city-states (Singapore is actually a city-state-country-island). Now I just have to get myself to Monaco!

As many places, Singapore began as a British colony started by the British East India Company (you'll certainly remember that name from your history books) as it was an important destination on the spice route. Cinnamon & pepper used to as valuable as oil is now! Its a HUGE port city (much bigger than our fair "Port City" of Wilmington, NC).

My shipping container (see below) is on a “slow boat to China” now, in fact. I’m told it should arrive on December 12th and may spend up to 3 weeks in customs!

The container that holds my life in its hands

The mover trying to close the thing - I filled that sucker up!

I arrived on Sunday night (sacrificing my Sunday to fly all day), checked into my hotel and went right to sleep.

Looking forward to this!

Singapore by night

On Monday morning, I woke up and took a quick walk over to work from my hotel.

Walk, don't run

Google Singapore - Up to the 38th floor!

View from 38th floor, with the building in shadow

More views

After a full day of work a few of the Aussies (pronounced "Ozzies") attending the training adopted me and we went out for "spicy crab", a Singapore specialty. I didn't know what I was getting myself into... plastic gloves, a bib - quite a messy meal! I gave up half way through and ate the "fried buns" which taste as good as they sound - and scooped the crab-laden sauce into my rice. Good enough for me! Bob and Roger gladly ate the rest of my messy meal.

This woman was the rep for Tiger Beer

My bib!

Which she talked us into buying

Next we went to have a Singapore Sling at Raffles (a Singapore institution where the drink was created). Raffles is named after the founder of the colony, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles.

Hello, Mr. Raffles

Raffles is shamelessly grandiose. As you can see, it feels very 1940's colonial with its 14ft-high ceilings, overhead fans, oriental carpets in the world, and peanut shells on the floor of the Long Bar. Bring your linen suit & Panama Joe t-shirt.

The courtyard bar

"Ceiling fans" (that's where the term comes from!)

The Long Bar

East India Company (remember)

The drinks were S$28 per (and you don’t even get to keep the glass). Bob bought us a round from the Long Bar where the drink was created. We paid for the "experience".

My sling

Bob & Roger with their slings

Me in a dark corner with my sling

Tastes like cherries and not a bit like gin.

I'm told, unlike many former colonies, Singapore embraces its colonial past and doesn't reject outside influences or expats. They say Singaore tries to get about 10% foreign-born people to move to Singapore each year.

"Foreigners"

Before you start to think all Australians have mustaches – they don’t – its Movember. That’s right, Movember. In November Australians (and many others) raise money for prostate cancer by growing a mustache. It’s a pretty funny tradition (started in Melbourne) and many Googlers are participating and raising money.

The month of Movember

Changing the face of prostate cancer

He stays true to the Mo

Which one do you prefer? I like the Rockstar.

In Australia they abbreviate EVERYTHING - so a "Mo" is a mustache, in case you're wondering. There are lots of rules to Movember. There is to be no joining the mo to the side burns - that's a beard. There is to be no joining of the handlebars on the chin - that's a goatee.

Know your Mo

Boys, get ready for Movember 2010.

And on December 1st, like magic, all the "Mo's" were gone. Pity.

Singapore has all sorts of weird (to me) rules & laws. Owing to its pristine cleanliness, its illegal to spit on the sidewalk, you aren't allowed to chew gum (details here), and you're not allowed to litter. The running joke is that Singapore is a "fine" city as you can get fined for anything - S$1,000 for your first littering offense!

Litter free Singapore

On the positive side, it may be the cleanest place I've ever been and DEFINITELY the cleanest Asian city I’ve ever been to (although Seoul is a close second). And drugs are a HUGE no-no, as you can see from the message on my customs card.

Death - just death.

After another day of training at Google, some of my coworkers took me out to IndoChine on the river overlooking the city. Wow, wow, wow is all I can say about the food. Scallops, sea bass, shrimp, spring rolls – fresh and delicious! I even had a glass of Australian Cabernet. MM mmm good.

Sea bass in banana leaves with coconut milk

After dinner we had a stroll along the river and then back to the hotel for some winks.



After my third and final day of training, I’m exhausted and on my way back to Sydney. I was upgraded (hallelujah, PTL) and got a nice reclining seat! Had a dinner of champions and now I'm off to sleep.

Sorry but I've had enough Asian food for one week!

My schedule for the next 48 hours is harrowing. Sleep on red-eye, arrive at 6 am (3 am Singapore time), meet real estate agent to find an apartment, find a costume for our Christmas party, try to take a nap, go to Christmas party, try to be a trooper with the Aussies and not go home by 10 pm, go to work on Friday to prep for meetings on Monday, concert Friday night, sleep all weekend! You know you're busy when you're scheduling sleep. I'm back to the basics on Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Sleep, food, shelter.

So much for self-actualization

xo