Friday - November 6

TGIF, ready for a few beers and to shake off work. I call my friend Hailin and ask where people are headed to which she replies Harry's. Feeling good that I don't have to ask where that is for once (I ate there for lunch earlier that day) I head out across the street to a British influenced pub. Looking around, I don't see Hailin (It's not a huge place) She calls me and asks where I am and I tell her right in front. When she says so am I, it dawns on me that there are more than 1 Harry's and this is in fact a chain. They of course are at the other Harry's which I walk to in about 10 minutes.

Yada yada yada, a few drinks later let's get to the part where we learn something. I've been both a witness and a participant to many a beer chugging competition, however whatever the delivery vehicle be it a cup, glass, funnel, etc from what I've seen has never been a bottle given the obvious air displacement dilemma. One person that we were with offered a gem of wisdom that may have been his only solid contribution to the evening, but it was a good one. If you put a straw in the bottle and bend it down so air can still get out, you can chug that bottle like it was a mug. That was the good news, here is the bad news. I was crushed, beaten embarrassed like like a fat kid in a speedo. Luckily I didn't talk a big game like the other guy who was beat, so in comparison I still looked good.

Ready to call it, I was easily convinced to go out to a club (the same one I was at last time). It was good times, a bunch of wild dude were visiting from Hong Kong and bought us all shots. I was minding my own business when a guy asked me what I was doing here. I replied that I was working in Singapore. He asked me again what I was doing here, and I told him I just moved, but I'll be here for a while. When he asked me the third time, the weird feeling I got was confirmed by the look he was giving me. He wasn't asking me what I was doing here, he was asking me what I was doing HERE, in the club. He was very close to me and started grabbing for my wrists which I moved a bit to avoid his grasp. I started doing a quick run-down of what was about to go down. Either A) don't do anything, hope this guy backs off B) Wait too long and lose first movers advantage when he actually does something C) Use a little Krav Maga action which was perfect given the very close quarters (knee and elbow). The problem was, I didn't really know the outcome of any of these scenarios and was worried about how many friends he had with him and if they were the chess playing type or the Bruce Lee type. Not to mention, I didn't want to find myself in a Singaporian jail my second weekend here. Luckily, one of the girls I was with pulled me back into their circle and diffused the situation. The guy left immediately, and left his friends behind. I asked his friends what that was about and they said they hadn't a clue. I guess there are drunken idiots everywhere you go. His friends turned out to be pretty ok guys and I actually started talking with them for a bit. The world is a strange place.

The search for my new Home

Monday - Thursday November 2-4 2009
At this point my two biggest expenses are taxis and drinks, so I decide enough is enough, I'm going to take the bus to work. It takes the same exact route as the taxi does, only it stops 12 times before I get there. The first day I was really lucky and found a seat which was very pleasant. The next day I wasn't so lucky and had to stand in the back of the bus. This area was clearly designed for the average Singaporian, not the average American. 35 minutes with your head cocked to the side is not how you want to start your day.

I received another call from HR asking me if I want to sign a full year lease with Fortville apartments where I am currently staying. The deal was that the Bank would put me up here and then give me the option to find my own place or renew for the remaining 11 months. To set the scene a bit, the Corporate apartment I am in is nice, clean, a bit old, and is serviced once a week. The bad side is that it is in the equivalent of the suburbs, and not within walking distance of a full grocery market or restaurant other than 2 fast food joints and 1 seafood restaurant that is on the high end. Given that I'm used to being in the middle of things, I wanted to move to somewhere a bit more central. HR seemed reluctant to offer any assistance, but after asking, I got a list of a few agents that I was required to go through in order for DB to pick up the tab. The first agent ended up going on vacation at the beginning of the search and set me back a few days. I decided to engage two at once in order to double my chances of a decent agent, despite the plea of HR to use one at a time. It was a good thing I did because the first agent came back to me saying there was nothing in my price-range in the buildings I wanted. I found this interesting as I enclosed actual quotes in the email I sent her. She replied that it was a bait and switch strategy where the landlord would quote a price, say it just left the market and show me a higher priced apartment. The reality of it couldn't be more different. The second agent came back to me with two suggestions within my price range, and told me that she could probably negotiate a drop of a few hundred dollars. The first place I visited was a building in Robinson Quay (pronounced key) which is more of an expat and exciting part of town. Although this was my preferred location, the apartment was kind of dull and a downgrade from where I was coming from. The second location was a bit further out than I would have liked however Singapore is small and it was within walking distance of good places as well as situated ontop of an MRT (subway) Lavender station. The apartment blew away the other one and was two bedrooms, a big plus for visiting friends and family.
After talking over the price and location with coworkers, it seemed like a really good deal. I told the agent to go for it and get the paperwork started. Just to cover my bases I sent a "confirmation" letter to HR regarding the fact that if my apartment came under budget that I would receive the difference in my check. This was all calculated in my apartment search, making sure that I left enough for utilities. HR responded saying no, I would not be entitled to that amount, and that it would be forefitted. I could have accepted this, but decided that the amount was enough to raise a stink about which I did. After making a few phone calls, sending a few emails, I got HR to agree to my terms! I was really looking forward to getting the rest of my stuff shipped to my permanent address and to calling somewhere home.

Haloween - Twew bwood

It is interesting how your mindset shifts a bit when you move to a country where you literally don't know anyone. When I lived in NYC, there were plenty of times when a friend of mine has told me that they know someone in New York and that we should get together sometime. I don't think that I've looked up a single person like that and said hey, Joey says we should hang out, so lets grab a beer. When I arrived in Singapore, it didn't matter if it was the 6th degree of separation, I am going to meet up with you. You are a friend of a friend? Lets have a beer. You also like the color blue? Lets have a beer.

Before coming to Singapore, two co-workers sent an email to people they knew (kinda) in Singapore. They both emailed me back and said they were happy to meet up. By the end of the week, one of them invited me to a Halloween party, and I hadn't even met them yet. So, in order to avoid an awkward situation where I'm asking around for the person who invited me, we met up for a drink on Friday (Sat was Halloween). We got along pretty well and she reconfirmed my invitation and insisted that I wear a costume. To be honest, I wasn't thrilled with the costume idea because the last 2 years, I either froze my ass off, or sweated my ass off. I felt compelled to comply since I was a guest and didn't want to offend my first friend here.

Around 9:00 the night of the party I was in a bizarre Halloween store (I think) that had weird clothes and a few left over costumes. There was another expat squeezed in the store and said "mate, you have any idear what you are going to dress up as?" I had no idea, and this shop wasn't inspiring me at all. He settled on count Dracula when I had my creative burst. I asked for fangs and jetted out. Since I didn't want to dress up very much, I figured I could go as Eric from TrueBlood. All I needed was a badass black outfit and some fangs. 1/2 way there, I checked out some shops that were scattered around the mall looking for a cool black jacket that had a standing collar. I tried 3 stores and the situation was the same...I was too big (I tend to think their jackets were too small). Desperate, I went with the least constricting, got some hair gel and left for the party

Although they don't celebrate Halloween in Singapore, these girls certainly did. They really got the American concept of it's the one night a year that you can dress in whatever you want (or whatever you don't want). The girls house where the party was being held was spectacular. Huge outdoor patio with a wet bar, pool, tennis court, beer pong, flip cup, music...all the essentials for a good party. When I arrived, I was feeling pretty good about my outfit, and then somebody asked who I was. "Im Ewick from twew bwood" was what I could mumble with the fangs in. It was the best I could do without drooling. Popping out the fangs I repeated myself. Looking at their face I was forced to ask if they knew what True Blood was. Turns out, HBO isn't quite so popular over in the island of Singapore. Now, with the fangs out, I was just a guy with slicked back hair in a too tight jacket. To be fair, some people did know who I was and one girl even said hey your Eric from season two (got to love it).

After a few hours we headed to a club called Butter for the after party which was a good time as well. Next year, I'm going to try and get better fangs.

First weekend

My first weekend I was plagued a bit by jet-lag. Saturday I woke up early because I had to meet with SIRVA, the relocation company that DB sets their expats up with. It's actually pretty nice, they basically come pick you up, and then show you the basic things you will need to know in your new life that you previously took for granted. Where the supermarket is, where the drugstore is, how to take the bus and the metro and how to get the electronic card that lets you ride both etc. She also took me to the bank to get that set up which is important if you want to get paid (I do). How to get a mobile phone and SIM card. It turns out that Seven Eleven is the best place to make such a purchase, who knew! I was trying to see the best way to get a local phone here and for me the top up cards seem to be the way to go where you can just add on money. I'll skip ahead really quick since I'm on the topic of phones and describe my frustration when getting one. When I went to get a phone the guy told me I couldn't get one without an Employment Pass (EP). Since I didn't have mine yet I had to wait a few more days. When I got it, I came back to the store, proud as could be since I was finally legit. I showed the rep my card and said I'll take this phone. She looked at me and said I need your passport as well. I gritted through my teeth, "you mean the one I took out of my bag right before I came here because I finally got my EP? The passport that you need to GET an EP, so clearly if you have an EP it is a higher level of documentation?" She explained she needed the passport which meant I could have gotten the phone a week earlier...such is life. By the way on my third try I was successful in buying the cheapest phone in singapore, it's practically fisherprice, but it makes and receives phone calls so that's all I care about.

Sunday I went to the "gym" which is really just a small exercise room in the apartment building I'm in. Imagine all of those hotel gyms you've seen and you pretty much have it. To be fair, at this point I hadn't worked out in so long that I just needed something to remind my muscles that they were used for something other than carrying me back and forth between the office.

I then trekked off to the Singapore Museum which I thought was an appropriate start to living in Singapore. After all, you should probably know a thing or two about the country you will be living in. Quick history lesson. Singapore or Singapora which is the Malay pronunciation was a fishing and trading village until 1819 When the British East India Company led by Sir Stamford Ruffles established it as a major trading post, and later major military base for Britain. Interesting fact, Sir Stamford Ruffles established it as a trading post originally against the wishes of the BEIC who thought they already had enough trading posts. In fact, the BEIC charged Ruffles for the costs of establishing it as a post and he died in debt. It was his wife that rescued his name to be the founder and celebrated individual he is today (that juicy bit isn't on Wikipedia...see mom I did something cultural). Another major part of Singapore history is what Winston Churchill called "Britain's greatest defeat" during WWII when it was lost to Japan. I actually went down into the communication bunker which is located underground and the last British commanders were stationed when they decided to surrender. It was neat to look at but I think it could have been done much better. The Singapore National Museum is definitely worth your time. Unsurprisingly, they have a room dedicated to Singapore cuisine which is a centerpiece of their culture and pastime. I am still getting used to Chinese cuisine, much of it I can stomach but don't love. I much prefer the Indian, Thai, Japanese, and even Korean food that is also available. On the topic of food, much of it is fried meat and rice with very little raw vegetables that I have seen so far. I'm surprised the vast majority of the population is so thin given the diet. Maybe I haven't seen everything that is available or maybe it's the heat and they sweat it off, but I feel like I need a salad a multivitamin, and a treadmill.

Never in NY

The following are two different experiences, the first is in chronological order to my previous blogs, the second fits so I'm going to put it here.

On my first full day in Singapore I become acutely aware of the fact that I have no food or water so I decide to go to the closest market to do a little food shopping. While checking out at the register, the cashier says you only have 2 apples and 2 oranges, you need 5 apples and 5 oranges. I say yes well I only want 2 apples and 2 oranges, so just ring me up for those. She replies no it's 5 apples and 5 oranges. This goes on for some-time and the Lady says politely, I'll watch your food since you've already paid and you can go back and get the rest of your fruit. At this point I'm holding up the line and I really just want to go so I tell her to forget it and I'll just leave. Behind me the girl who had tried to help me explain to the cashier what I really wanted says I'll get your fruit for you. Despite my protests, she full out runs to the other end of the store, picks out the other 6 pieces of fruit, puts them in a bag and sprints back and hands them to me. I was shocked. In NY, the person behind would have been cursing at you and the cashier, but would never volunteer to get items for you. She was smiling the whole time too.

Example number two, and even more unbelievable, a true testament of how nice people can be. On Friday, my 5th day at work, this girl who happened to be working here from the Tokyo office overheard that I needed a document notarized. I had been briefly introduced to her, but really barely knew her. She said that her friend was a lawyer and that she would invite us both to lunch that day so he could notarize my document. I thought it was pretty nice of her to arrange that and for him to agree. After some Japanese food, he looked at the document and said oh no I can't sign this, this requires a special type of notary, very rare. I said thanks for trying expecting to have to figure out what to do from there on my own. He thought for a moment and said, I have a friend who can do this, she works in a building nearby I'll show you. By show me he didn't mean point to it, he walked me inside, waited until his friend was available, introduced us, and asked if she could help. She asked for an employment pass (which I didn't have) Side note, if you are a foreigner you need an employment pass (EP) to do just about everything. She then asked for a passport which I didn't have. All I had to offer her was my meaningless NY drivers license. I'm sure if it wasn't for my new friend Glen, I would have been refused. Second side note. Everything in Singapore is by the book. I mean to the letter. I can give you one hundred examples already, to the point where it doesn't even make logical sense sometimes but rules are rules. Anyway, she did me a favour, and then charged me the regular fee of 45 dollars. Third side note. ATM's. Unlike most other places in the world, you can't just go to any ATM and expect money to spit out. You have to go to your specific Bank ATM. I was clean out of cash and had no way to pay her. Glen graciously paid her on my behalf (totally embarrassing) and we walked out to find an ATM. We wandered through a subway station where we finally came upon an HSBC machine. After trying unsuccessfully to jam my debit card in the slot, I realized this was a pay station (something unique to Asia I think) but definitely not an ATM. So after all that, Glen walked me back to my work since I wasn't sure where we were at this point and just said, send me a check when you can. That was a 1 1/2 ordeal for someone he didn't even know...pretty amazing.