kaya toast and the zoo!

I had the greatest day yesterday! Claire and I meet up at 11 at raffles place, along with Collin a new intern at her work. And lo-and-behold it was coming down!

We waited for a bit not wanting to try to find some café none of us had been to before in the pouring rain. Eventually we lost our patience and took a cab there which was really fast, convenient and when split 3 ways pretty cheap.

Collin was totally wondering what kind of toast could be worth the efforts I was going through. When we got there the café was more open air than I expected but the food was GREAT! The eggs where totally half cooked (which is how they’re supposed to be) and it took me a bit to get back into the Japan mind frame where raw eggs are not only ok but delicious. And they where! The kaya butter toast was everything it was supposed to be. Man it was scrumptious!

 I think we will do it again because everyone loved. Later when Vicenta (Claire’s roommate) joined us and asked what kind of toast was worth the trip Collin, the unbeliever, defended kaya toast as “amazing….so much more than just toast” officially surpassing me in enthusiasm which was funny.

coconut and egg jam stuff salty butter on fire toasted toast yum

Any way after brunch we went to the zoo. IT WAS SO COOL!

The zoo had all sorts of cool animals but the best part was the way exhibits where set up. They had a free range type vibe where the animals could roam pretty much where ever. You actually had to watch out to make sure you didn’t get peed on that how close you could get. We reflected on this and decided that it was because in Singapore you could expect people to follow the rules and not pester the animals where as in America you can put a wall and moat around an animal and some idiot would get in and have himself eaten. >:/

Anyway this was ubber cool! Check out my pictures on facebook!

 A few funny stories about our day before I move on:

 Claire and Collin are both a foot+ taller than me so I was demoted back to my midget like US status. My height difference almost caused me to miss a baby animal since I couldn’t see over a shrub and Claire nearly picked me up to make sure I could see. Like actually had hands on my waist and started to lift me. Fortunately she spotted and ledge for me to climb so I could see.

After Vinceta arrived we sort of split into pairs unofficially. Vinceta and Claire powered ahead with the map and Collin and I lingered places a little longer. There was a point though when I feel behind Collin and almost got lost because I couldn’t spot them over the crowd. Fortunately Collin heard me calling him and came back to collect me. Ha ha ha. He also had a good time at my expense (not that I wasn’t laughing with him though). As most of you know when I’m excited I turn into a four year old with some bad ADHD. He found my tendency to interrupt myself with “oh! look at that! It’s a ---” amusing. Plus he had fun with me whenever I was high pitch with excitement. For example I was in tizzy because everything was just so cool when I spotted a duck. Just an ordinary duck, which struck me as quite funny so I squeaked out “Look it’s a DUCK!” with my voice cracking about three octaves on duck. He giggled for while over that one, I punched him (while giggling myself). He also laughed at me because right after being totally excited and not creeped out by bats (which were totally right close to us and where flying around showing off), I got scared by a porcupine which made a sudden loud sound.

Calire and Vicenta both wanted to feed animals, Claire wanted Giraffes and Vicenta wanted elephants so we split up and united at the elephants. Claire nearly left me ‘n Collin behind she was bookin’ it so fast to the feeding. We feed the Giraffes and made it back to watch Vicenta feed and elephant, then explored some more.

Then was an hour and a half between when the zoo closed and the night safari opened (which is a zoo at night with night active animals). During which we got dinner but more importantly I got a pedicure thing at a fish spa. Yeah you read that right fish spa.

It’s was a bunch of cleaning fish chomping down on the dead skin on your feet. It ticked so badly! I was giggling like a madman! Totally awesome! :D

Then the night safari which was really cool! However taking pictures in the there was an exercise in futility since you can’t use flash and it was pretty dark already. The darkness made it harder to keep track of people so I had to practically glue (I say that in a non touch way it was too humid for much touching) myself to Collin so I wouldn’t get left behind. Anyway it was an awesome day! I was pretty pooped and the end but no bug bites (yay jungle juice)! 

work and 2 nights on the town!

note: there where pics to go with this but its being futzy so just check out my albums on facebook until I can get them to work

Whew first day at work was a real doozy! There was some real mental exercise going on. Monday was the first day I report to GIS (Genome Inst. Singapore) but all I did was go through the safety orientation then go home since I didn’t have my white card on me since I wasn’t told I needed it. Oh course I had every other piece of paper work which I was told to bring, which as it turns out I didn’t need. :P Anyway that worked out since I spent the evening with Claire having a blast! More on that after work though.

DR. Liu lead me into the lab and deposited me with these 3 nice ladies (2 of whom are also interns) who have to deal with me until I leave because it appears no one else will take me. It rapidly became apparent to me that I am not prepared to be here. Everyone else is getting their masters or PHD; I have yet to take upper division bio classes….

I felt a lot like when I got into wind ensemble: inadequate and unworthy. However wind ensemble taught me that while I may be woefully under-skilled for an undertaking I learn A LOT by fumbling through. This made me feel excited at the prospects of getting that kind of expansive schooling in lab. They handed me the paper they were using to base their project on and told me to go read it. Looking at the paper I was terrified remembering the last time I had tried to puzzle one of these out. Turns out being in ochem gave me the know how that got me through with about 80% comprehension. A few Wikipedia checks later and I’d be willing to up that to 86%. And more importantly I was already learning! Little things here and there I’ll snatch them up as they go by and before long I will have a mountain of new info!

Then things got boring. They were having problems with their gels giving them smears instead of blocks. And while I was familiar with PCR and running electrophoresis, I have no idea how to optimize one. So while they tried to work things out, I tried to understand what they were doing and why, with a low amount of success. Still I think there were tidbits that I gleaned without realizing. But still this took the majority of the day as I puttered about rereading the paper and doing ochem things to it (ie trying to figure out the synthesis of the hydrocarbon we were working on and drawing the structures of everything in the paper or looking up what I didn’t know).

Then lunch time with the two interns that I met yesterday, yes friends from school you are right I will always be surrounded by people spare me the I told you so’s.  They are both Singaporeans who went/go to school in America. The girl Vithya went to UCLA. And Shawn will be a sophomore at Johns Hopkins next year. I actually caught dinner with him and his friends from JH. It was a lot of fun! I liked all of them and they seemed to like me. It’s nice to have people to hang with J We spent more money than I wanted to and stayed out later than I should have but given the choice I would have gone again! They invited me to go dancing with them but on a Wednesday so I don’t know if I will go. 

Anyway the later part of my day was spent try to get a handle on cloning (it’s what I’ll be doing tomorrow) which believe or not actually has taken me a few hours to learn(or try to) the protocol and try to understand what’s happening. I am trying to supplement the knowledge that most people here have from classes and experience with the internet during the empty time I have when they’re working on things that are way too over my head (ie what mix of primers they should use). Wikipedia and Yahoo Answers are my new best friends.

 Random Notes: I miss gum. They call bathrooms washrooms, and take-out is take-away 0.o

So last night Claire and I went out for our first night on the town! The two of us look like a comedy duo! She is tall and blonde towering over most the people here. I’m short enough to still be short even in Asia (but not as short; instead or staring at peoples elbows and arms I stare at their shoulders) with my Latin figure, and my curly, curly hair. Oh yes we do not belong ahhahahaha! We meet up at Raffle’s Place one of the few spots that connects both our mrt lines. It was right in down town and the totally chic (not sheek), lots of money trading hands work place type of place.

 We asked a local for directions to good food and headed out. We wound up on this lovely but pricey strip on the riverbank.

We sat in one of the many waterfront restaurants and paid way more for food than I have paid anywhere else in Singapore. But the food was great!

And the view was totally worth it.

We ran around taking pics and just sorta hanging out as the sun went down and it got late.

 I was really excited because I figured out where we were based on a bridge and took her to Merlion Park where the majority of the picture snapping happened.

We wandered into a mall right as everything was closing which was a shame since its Great Singapore Sales time which means for 2 months everything is on sale 10-90% off! Perfect timing right?

Any way that’s all for now! I’ll blog again when I have something more to say! Or if people wanna know the details of the project I’m working on (it’s not exactly bio fuel) let me know and I’ll send ya what I got. 

Singapore day 2.5 the beginning!

Gosh 2 days since I left and I have so much to say! Haha I’ll go chronologically so I keep myself in order.

 Travel: So it was one 16 hr flight to Hong Kong in which I tried to sleep but only snatched a few hours here and there. Then a brief 3 hr flight to Singapore WHICH I ALMOST MISSSED! The flight to Hong Kong was delayed so the time I was supposed to have time in between was cut to about a half an hour. So the in-flight thing said the flight to Singapore that left at 8:55 was at gate 46. I get off the plane and scan the flight board thingy quickly and see yes the flight is at gate 46.  So I walk across the damn airport ( I got off at like gate 2) only to find there are 2 flights leaving for Singapore at 8:55 and the one I’m on… is you guessed, it at gate 1. So I book it back and make it just in time.

Then I land in Singapore go buy my phone only to find that I should have brought my cell phone so I could just put in my new sim card! D: So I had to waste money buying a new phone DX so frustrating!!!!!

A side note: I think Asia has a smell. When I got off the plane in Hong Kong I was like “This! I’ve smelled this before!” And I don’t just think it’s the smell of humidity though that is a part of it, these also a plastic, and different soap sort of smell.

Anyway, I landed took a taxi to my hostel and was glowing with pride. I felt like by virtue of being the first of my friends to come to Singapore I owned it. It was MINE! Ha ha, that glow didn’t last too long though. The panic that had begun to touch on me during my flights settled in, in full swing once I got into my room and started unpacking. The worse part of the following 12 hours of panic was knowing in my head that this was temporary and illogical but not being able to convince my body to believe it. Fortunately the following morning all the people I talk with on facebook and skype where very supportive and helped me keep on my head on straight.  

 I also took some pics of my hostel and some of its furry occupants:

Most signs here are written in English but the important stuff is repeated in multiple languages 

 When I finally got out of my room (and head) and went for my tour of the city things took a turn for the better. Under Parth’s sage advice I returned to my bold ways and sat next to this girl on the bus and made friends. 

She told me to call her Little Earl (I had though she said little yeo but alter when exchanging numbers I saw it was earl lol). I hung out her and her sister all day. They were very cute and I learned to speak Chinese English. By that I mean I learned the little difference in the English they spoke ie send instead of give and the lack of the word good everything was well or beautiful haha.  They each gave me a fan from China and were fun girls :) Little Earl is in love with a boy called Darren but he doesn’t know she likes him and she was so adorable mooning over him. Hahaha! I had thought my friends at school adamant belief in my inability to exist without friends surrounding was exaggerated, now I think they might be right.

The tour was a whirl wind of some of Singapore famous places Little India, Merlion Park, China Town, and Sentosa. The tour was from 1:30 to 10 and believe you me I was wiped at the end. We didn’t have much time anywhere but Sentosa so I really only caught glimpses of Little India, China town. 

And while the time was just as short in Merlion Park I feel like I was most of what it had to offer. Merlion Park offered what I’m sure was one of the best views of Singapore! It also contained Mother Merlion and Son Merlion 2 of the 5 Merlions in Singapore.

 

 I saw the third merlion, Father Merlion, in Sentosa. We hung out on the beach most of the time there we also saw this cool candy shop and a show called Songs of the Sea. The show was terrible acting and plot that framed some decent effect displays. Over all not worth the money, it’s a good thing I didn’t pay ;) (it came with the tour which was free).

illegal flash photography during show as done by me

By the time we got back I could barely stand. I hit my bed which is very hard but surprisingly not uncomfortable and feel asleep within minutes with the lights still on.

Today I ate egg tart and milk tea (which I think was actually made with milk and tea not powder!) for breakfast. I also seem to be adjusting to the humidity and heat. The humidity makes it so you don’t even know when you’re cold because you always feel sweaty and wrapped in a blanket. This resulted in me nearly freezing my butt off when I set the ac too low and fell asleep. Ha ha I had so much more to say but I think this will do. Keep in touch people! Much love to everyone!

PS there are lots more pics to be seen and they're on my facebook page so head on over and check em out!