SEAS and the City

Live From BBC ASIA it's Rico Hizon

2008-06-16T12:45:00.000-07:00

Good Morning. Live from the Best City in the World!

So I recovered wonderfully, eating wheat bread for most of Monday. And then went all out and had the most amazing Chicken Tikka Masala and Garlic Naan in a back courtyard in Pasir Panjang with Caroline, Carlee, Anita, Olivia, Patty T, Elliot, and Katie. With the spices back in my belly, I was ready to take on Tuesday's morning adventure to BBC ASIA!

We went to the headquarters of this hub only to be surprised at how small the actual newsroom and office space was. With about 6 interchangeable producers and anchors, the tight office was cluttered with personal photos, newspapers, post-its, and hair gel. Yes, hair gel - in every form - mousse, spray, gel, and wax. We met with newsman Rico Hizon, Singapore's finest anchor straight from the Philippines. He presents the Asia Business Report and anchors one edition of the World Business Report live from Singapore Monday to Friday (http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/bbc_world/ricohizon.shtml).

Hair Gel Galore!!!Behind the Scenes!

Seriously - Patty T and I look professional.
Thank you for corresponding, Rico.
Your BBC Asia Co-anchors for 2020??

Technicolor Travels

2008-06-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

I will always have vivid memories of Malaysia, but these pictures share with you a glimpse of the colorful town of Malacca!

Fresh flowers... I've never seen a blue flower before - questionable freshness.

Technicolor Tuk-Tuks!

Some of Malacca's colorful travelers.. Olivia, Catherine, Carlee, Anita, and Patty T... word.

Oh Just a Python chillin in a Tuk-Tuk... Why does it always have to be snakes..

The Dutch Sheeeep with a high speed Tuk-Tuk caught in motion

Aerial View of a flower by the Mangrove Forest

Bright Flower

Bright Fence

Bright Produce

Bright Fruits!

Nice Work Gumshoe!

2008-06-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

So after the "Merlioning" I was trying to trace back my day to find the source... And sure enough all I needed to do was look at my camera - it had done all the investigating for me.
From our dinner to by the sea - seeing the fish we would eat pulled off the boat - to the wet market - with ultra pungent produce and poultry - there were many variables in the situation.

It could have been the fresh, but overwhelming seafood lunch we had...
or the fresh stingray sighting in the wet market...

Or the crabs crawling out of the wet market...

despite having their feet attached, the chicken wasn't walking but was certainly smelling...

The fresh fruits were fresh just like the fish...

soooo.... It must have been Olivia - in charge of frying the chicken... Funny how she offered me the first bite of our concoction...

Thanks Olivia - Love you lots.
[The next cooking class we had - I made every dish... Olivia felt ill after the meal most likely from overindulging in our rich spread of curries. Needless to say, Karma!]

Before things got Malais-ian...

2008-06-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

There was a good afternoon spent in Malaysia before my blog stopped. I apologize for the halt in updating... it was not the recovery time, but the other activities going on that delayed me. I will load some pictures for now, and fill in the blanks later. Sorry to keep everyone waiting!

Which Way Would You Go?

Colleen and I by our AMAZING coach!

Patrick Toomey (appropriately renamed Patty T) and I
in front of propaganda for tourists

You know - One of those Monkeys that shows up around Asia.

Mangrove Forests

Philosophical Thoughts On the Lookout Post

Chillaxin' on the Southernmost Tip of Mainland Asia

Deja Vu - Didn't I already go to the Southernmost Point in Asia (Sentosa) well I guess that just clarifies that I went there regardless of which country holds the record

Alyzza, Patty T, and I: "Thasss Wuzzzup"

Some clothes drying next to our restaurant table.

Well, the health care is decent...

2008-06-15T06:36:00.000-07:00

Greetings from a Malaysian Hospital - I bet not that many people can add that to their list of things done over the summer. Well, somewhere between the Leisure Hunt and the Night Market, the devil disguised as an ice drink attacked me. After seeing my Malaysian cuisine more times than intended Friday night, I thought I'd be better by the morning... so I walked down to the lobby and promptly vom-laysia-ed in a pewter flower pot by the koi pond. Still persistent to join the countryside bike tour, I put on my helmet for the bike trip but passed out on some Malay woman's love seat instead. Everyone kind of figured I needed more assistance than a nap, so off to the clinic I went. Despite my brave attempts, I could not overpower the diagnosis of food poisoning and severe dehydration. About twelve checks of my blood pressure later, I was sent to the ER for 2 bags of fluids, intended for a check out time within 4 hours. At about the 6 and a half hour mark, the nurse removed the second bag with a good 100cc's left, joking that we should split that bag among my visitors to speed the process. Although my souvenir shopping was limited by my firsthand account of foreign health care - Andy did buy me a lovely sunflower to brighten my day. I was accompanied by my loyal friend Caroline Fisher - endless thanks for laughing at my morbid hospital jokes while I was hooked up to the IV. As well as photographer, Sarah, and comedian, Andy Reynolds. What a wonderful memory of Malais-ya. Now what to do with all those Malaysian ringets I cashed out?

Sentosa (The Trashiest Part of Singapore - In both Senses of the Word)

2008-06-15T06:29:00.000-07:00

I'll come back to this one - but I just need to have day markers in place.

Barrels of Monkeys in Bukit Timah!

2008-06-15T06:09:00.001-07:00

Caroline, Maggie, Daniel, and I take a hike to Singapore's Highest Peak!!

It was a steep incline for 10 minutes and then we hit the top.
Look a Monkey! Not your average creature to spot on a Monday hike...Lots of free range monkeys and foliage.I felt like Fern Gully ! But whatever you do... DONT FEED THE MONKEYS!! Ceci - our program directors ' daughter dropped her banana at a monkey - trouble at one and a half - her passport has been tagged by the government.

Forget Mickey D's, I want some Camembert!

2008-06-15T05:56:00.000-07:00

Some people on the trip crave McDonalds, others Burger King, but when Caroline and I got the craving for something un-Asian, we went to town (VivoCity in fact) and purchased a wheel of Camembert and a tub of Skippy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Swirl and some Carr's crackers.

We were going to go forNutella, but the Skippy was roughly USD$1.30 - a steal.

We spent the next two nights, not whining, but dining on our delicious cheese and crackers. This lead us to a perplexing dilemma: What would you give up if you had to - Cheese or Chocolate?

Homestay with George Fu ShengJie

2008-06-15T02:26:00.000-07:00

The homestay!!! Well it wasn't as exclusive of a view into the life of a Singaporean as I thought, but it was wonderful. Elliot, Elaina, Jared, and I spent Saturday night at George's HDB (public housing flat) in Northern Singapore. We started our day near City Hall, walking around the area. Then lunch at a Hiananese Chicken Rice restaurant. It was lovely good Hainanese Pork Chop! After that meal, we went to Ah Chew Desserts - a place that sells only desserts... not like Sugarland but it sells a variety of pastes.. yum delectable pastes! Then we went to a boardgame cafe!! Marvelous enterprise - I'm intending to start a franchise on Franklin Street. We had Milo Dinosaurs (ovaltine chocolate milk with loads of the powder on top!) and Sparkling Kiwis (7up and Kiwi syrup). It was a blast! We played great games like Ugly Dolls - a matching game where you try and flip over three alike ugly dolls then scram to pick up the cards and then my favorite -TABOO Singapore Style! The cards included terms such as "Racial Harmony - Not able to use Indian, Malay, Chinese, Other, or Tolerance" and "Asian Civilizations Museum..." clearly I will think it's more humorous having experienced all the cards.
Then we went to Zouk - a club for some quality night life. Slept in at George's. Woke up and saw Malaysia from my room. The flat was two-stories very nice, despite the fan blade at my head level in the shower - it was a very safe environment. We watched Cantonese Soap Operas all morning and then went to have some Nasi Lemak (coconut rice with fish paste) at a hawker center nearby. Then we piled into the Toyota Wish an 8 person clown van with self-parking!! At the top is a family pic of the bunch plus the Fu ShengJie's.

A Low Quay Evening By Clarke Quay

2008-06-08T09:11:00.000-07:00

So Friday we went to see a performance from the Singapore Arts Festival called "Drift." It was 'very obtuse' according to theater critic Caroline Fisher... it was in Mandarin with subtitles and a woman with a shaved head remained still and silent, suspended 3 meters above the stage for the show's entirety... obtuse was a very generous descriptor. Anyways, Caroline and I then went with Jared from our group to Clarke Quay (pronounced Key). For an evening on the edge of the river. It was lovely and lively. The areas by the water a always brightly lit and busy. It was a great night of chatter and people watching.

Point of Reference

2008-06-08T09:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a pic of the whole group minus Layna Mosley (professor/wife, she is on baby duty).

We have 5 guys, 20 girls, 5 out of staters, 2 professors, one baby, one grad student, one alum from the year before, 2 courses, 3 countries, 8 weeks.

Hi Ya Hwa Chong!

2008-06-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

We visted the elite school Hwa Chong, an independent school for boys of excellence. Despite the fascinating work ethic of their students, I was more captivated by the koi pond than the competitive abilities of the scholars.

How typi-koi of me...

My 36 Hour Birthday!!!

2008-06-08T08:24:00.000-07:00

So June 3rd began for me approximately at noon June 2nd in the US. The 12 hour time change allowed me to stretch my 19th over the course of 36 hours (it happened to last longer but that was just because we needed an excuse to celebrate midweek). Anyways, It was a superb birthday - My professor brought a slice of chocolate cake in class (my first sweet in a week besides sweet and sour soup) and the entire bus sang Happy Birthday on our way to Hwa Chong, a prestigious Chinese school.

It was a wonderful day and I thank everyone for wishing me a happy birthday! One of the best things (besides Mary Pell skyping me around 6pm EST aka 6 am Singapore) was the colorful birthday sign on my door by Caroline.

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round

2008-06-08T00:54:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Evening, after a Birthday Hawker Stop, we were waiting for the bus to pick us up from Holland Village when we decided that "scenario pictures" would be a great idea! That is when someone says a phrase then we act it out before the shutter closes. I hope you can match the correct scenario to the scene. Enjoy!

Match the Poses that were immediately associated with:
a) Bubble Tea's Tapioca Pearls
b) Fish Head Curry
c) Frog Leg Porridge

People in Pictures L--R: Olivia, Anita, Carlee,

Me, Caroline, Elliot M

SINGAPORE LIONS (lose) to Uzbekistan

2008-06-03T16:16:00.000-07:00

Monday Night, we went to the Kallong National Stadium to watch the Singapore Lions battle the Uzbekistan team for the World Cup 2010 Asia Qualifying match. Despite the half filled stadium, Singapore managed to have many more fans than the 3 Uzbeks... The game was intense, but the second half was laden with injuries from Uzbek players. The slower second half wasn't enough time for the Lions to fight back and win. Final Score 3 - 7... but number 1 in our hearts.

Crazy AZN Civilizations Museum

2008-06-03T15:43:00.000-07:00

Ceci and I in the lion dance costume!

More Costumes from the Museum

Anita and I on the Boat around Boat Quay!

So there is this flawless museum called the Asian Civilizations Museum. It sits right on the water, really lovely and has the most advanced technology for all the exhibits. Anyways, we went there and then on a boat ride of the Singapore River. We then revisited the museum the next day for a Festival about Vietnam. That was even wilder. I hope some of these pictures can help place you into Singapore. It's amazing how much of it we already have in our culture (for instance, the drum we have on the porch... its a crazy religious drum for Vietnamese rituals!)

Lion Dance

Double Flutes

Only played with a Leaf!

Sir Raffles

2008-06-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

Just Posing outside of the Victorian Opera House with Sir Stamford Raffles. This was the day we traveled around after our visit to Parliament. We were not allowed to take any photos around Parliament so I don't have that many. On this day, we wandered around the financial district and then walked all of Orchard Rd (really long trek) to see the movie. Sorry this is a little out of order. I'll work on organizing and updating.

The Perfect Mass Meeting Outfit!

2008-05-31T21:58:00.000-07:00

If there was an Asian themed mass meeting - I have found the costume! Actually I just found it in the kiddie section of the Asian Civilization Museum (typical - finding the dress up). Anyways, it was a great museum.

SE% and THE City!

2008-05-30T18:56:00.000-07:00

Despite the 2am Skype messages from some that think it's really another time, the 12 hour time difference has been really great with movies...especially the release of Sex and the City. Despite the US Premiere date May 30, Singapore released the movie 2 days earlier in fact. So to "The Cathay" we went. The Cathay, a mall with a movie theater on the 5th floor, was packed! But four of us managed tickets on the front row. What an experience! The theater was packed with young asian women... giggling. The movie had Chinese subtitles and some editing for Singapore's standards. We had a great time!

But afterwards, we wanted a picture. However, Singapore has very strict piracy laws - so once we took a photo an usher came down demanding we delete the pictures. The picture was blurry so I deleted mine, but we still wanted proof of our early viewing. So not to become victims of a piracy scandal, we decided to take a picture with our reflection in it, but not our actual bodies outside of the theater . You can vaguely spot the outline of my hair in the middle of the pic. We'd give the movie 5 stars out of 5 with unexpected laughter for all audience members eligible for NC - 17 features.

Monsoon Morning

2008-05-29T10:10:00.001-07:00

So being 1 degree above the equator, I was expecting the heat, the humidity, the frizz, but not the monsoons and evening lightening storms. Fortunately they have vending machines for umbrellas.

Gloomy Pics from the Top of Mt. Faber the second highest hill on the island. Views of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Tempest.

Hawker Centers and Hawks

2008-05-29T09:36:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the delay, I just realized I enjoy running around Singapore more than sitting in my room blogging, but I will try to keep everyone up to date with what's going on in my adventure. Day 2 consisted of a trip to the Clementi (an area) Hawker Center and the Jurong Bird Park. The Hawker Centers are outdoor food courts that are extremely cheap and diverse in options. I ordered a Singaporian favorite, chicken rice for a whopping SD$2.50. The Hawker Center was great to see the market type open stores and masses of people eating.

Our next stop was the Jurong Bird Park, the largest aviary in the world. Very similar to the Animal Kingdom exhibit, there were penguins, owls, and flamingos. The neat part was the tropical birdlife that actually belonged in the country. The birds were amazing and everywhere.

One of the great tourist traps of the park was the Birds of Prey Show, exhibiting the largest vultures and hawks anyone would like to see. Expecting the performance to run similar to past animal shows, I decided to get front row seats... Surprise! They needed a volunteer especially a young lady (after all 6 years handling hawks might be a recipe for disaster). So I had the great privilege to help out Gan, the Falconer, feed raw meat to an enormous bird, help a vulture land mid-flight on my hand, and become mildly assaulted by another bird [See picture for explanation]. Oh and the last picture is just trouble - Patrick and I had to pose on the Stuffed Animal Motorcycles, which you could rent for 2 dollars to ride around the mall - they were actually quite large and quite fast.

Curry In the Morning Risin' To the Streets

2008-05-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

So... breakfast in Singapore looks just like dinner at the Golden Dragon. Chicken, Rice, Dumplings, Bubble Tea, and CURRY. I went for a Cheese Prata at the suggestion of Matt Roberts. I'll give it to him- it was delicious! A crepe like layer enveloping the cheese and then smothered in curry sauce = everyday bfast. It was delicious and a great start to my first day in the city.

At breakfast, I met up the two NUS students who are just taking their vacation time to have fun with us. Alexious and Yong both lived at UNC in the Spring. One of our favorite things is to see the Carolina gear that they bring back to their country. Despite the jet lag, I managed to notice something wrong with Alexious' shirt at 9 in the morning... it read Carolina Mom.
One UNC T-shirt = $ 20.
One Cheese Prata = SD$ 2.20.
Seeing Alexious wear a UNC Mom shirt in Singapore = Priceless.

To Infinity And Beyond!

2008-05-27T06:04:00.000-07:00

Starting my journey at 5 30 am Sunday, I can only assume that they reason why I then ended my journey at 2am Tuesday was due to my Buzz Lightyear powers - “To Infinity and Beyond” as he says. Instead, our RDU based crew of 19 members traveled to JFK then Hong Kong then Singapore. Most of us thought we would be flying over Europe instead over the US, which the Charlotte crew was routed. Oh No! We were sent on a better flight path – To the North Pole! Yes, that’s right. From Sunday to Tuesday, I traveled to the North Pole then down to the Equator on the other side of the world. Not having to change my watch with the time change, we ended a whopping 12 hours away from sweet Eastern Time. I took some pictures from our personal TV monitors on Cathay Pacific to prove my “Santa Claus” status with a snapshot of the North Pole from the plane’s outside camera.

Some of the pluses of the journey included the smoked salmon salad, the chocolate mousse, the reclining seats, oh and even some Melbac to sip with our beef and potatoes meal though it was served at the temperature of the cabin (14 degrees Celsius). It was an extravagant economy class – so Patrick (my row 55 buddy) and I decided that the icy Melbac was too difficult to swallow chilled, so we opted to change it to split a Carlsburg. Yes, they had Carlsburg on flight, Grandsam, I thought of you. Don’t fear, the amounts we were sipping were standard airline cups barely enough for Coco to realize the difference if it replaced her water bowl. Anyways, it was a delightful 16-hour flight after having 5 hours lay over at JFK aka free massages at the Brookstone Store for four of the hours.

There were some funny miss communications on board the predominantly Asian plane. I was seated at the front of the economy class with little legroom and stowage, but Patrick had a seat next to him when the plane was exiting the ramp so I sat there. However, a quarter of the way through the flight a woman came up to the man seated next to me and began a conversation with him. After she left, I asked if that was his wife and if she wanted to sit in my place as if I had taken her seat. Instead of my expected reply (Oh Yes that would be great or Oh No she is fine) he stood up 5 minutes later and went to another area of the plane. Seconds later, the woman I had assumed his wife came and sat in his place. She remained there for the rest of the flight. Patrick and I couldn’t figure out if the man thought I was saying “I want your wife to sit here” or if he had another plan in mind. Anyways, the entertainment on the plane was overwhelming and I never finished a movie while on board (kind of typical). I did catch portions of P.S. I love you and Sweeney Todd, which I finished on the Hong Kong to Singapore flight. The only problem was it that I didn’t recognize the difference in the channels and listened to the majority of the musical in German with Chinese subtitles.

Nevertheless, after our bus ride passed the Singapore Flyer (the London Eye equivalent) I found my keys to my modest abode in the Prince George’s Park Residences. On the 6^th floor of the middle tower, I over look the basketball courts, a fountain display, a Supermarket, and the port in the distance. So far so good despite the crazy time change. I look forward to getting my Monday back after skipping over it – but I can’t complain because there are always instances when skipping a Monday is ideal. Today we are orienting ourselves and going to the Jurong Bird Park. Should be wonderful!

Where will CC be in SEA?

2008-05-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

Since I realized I am not that familiar with Asian geography, I thought I'd add a map to show where in the world I will be. I fly into Hong Kong from JFK (17 hour flight!!) and then go to Singapore from there. My next trip is to Melaka by bus then back for singa-more. Then to Chaing Mai, Thailand then Bangkok, Thailand... follow the arrows.

Singapore is less than 100 miles off the Equator at a latitude of 1 degree North.

So It's gonna be pretty HOT. Check out my weather forecast here: Singapore Climate

Houston, We Have Lift Off!

2008-05-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

Greetings! I hope to update the world on my adventures with Carolina's SEAS program in Singapore through this blog. I'll also be using Skype so download it to your computer for more updates! Have a great summer!

Departure: May 25 to Singapore
Return: July 17 to US

Wahooooo!