9/30/12 - Langkawi

Boom.  2 posts in one day.  Can you believe it?

It was time for a short little vacation.  Work, school, finding a place to live and then putting it in order necessitated it.  Luckily we're never more than an hour flight away from a tropical island here.  Thursday morning we hopped an Air Asia flight from Penang to Langkawi and were literally sitting on the beach about 90 minutes after they closed the plane door in Penang.  My knees were practically in the seat in front of me and some of the people on the plane made sounds like we were on a roller coaster when we hit turbulence (whoaa, whoaa, whoooaaa) but that just added to the entertainment.

We stayed at the Berjaya resort so we could get our own little cabin to stay in out in the jungle.  Literally.  The balcony door in our room had a sign (a little tough to read, but you get the idea) reminding you to lock it before leaving so the monkeys couldn't get in.  We remembered to do that, but guess who we saw on our way to the beach?

We had every intention of doing some exploring, there is a cable car to the top of a small mountain/large hill and a sky bridge up there, waterfalls, shopping and other beaches, but in the end the beach that was a 5 minute walk from our room was just too tempting.  Plus, after this trip we're fairly confident we'll be back.  Digging your toes into the sand with a reasonably priced drink is just too difficult to pass up.

Surprisingly a lot of different wildlife spottings on the trip (not counting the cows walking down the side of the road on the way back to the airport).    Some interesting looking birds, monkeys of course, crabs of all colors, a sea otter and then what appeared to be two flying squirrels.  It was dark and we couldn't see that well, but what else jumps from tree to tree and claims to be looking for Boris and Natasha?

Heading home couldn't have been easier - at least logistically.  We were back in Singapore a few hours later and laughing about how it had taken us 24 hours to get to Phuket a few years ago.  Made the work (school and accounting) a little easier on Sunday knowing that a trip like that can now be crammed into a weekend instead of needing 2 days (front and back end of the trip) to get there.

9/30/12 - Georgetown Food

I had a visitor in Penang last week.  It was fall break for the NUS program so Sarah came up to spend a few days with me before we took a mini 3 day weekend/vacation.  Unfortunately it rained almost the entire week which limited the Georgetown exploring opportunities.  Luckily, I had switched locations and stayed at the Campbell House in Georgetown vs. my usual hotel which gave us some better dining opportunities that were easy to get to.  They have a great breakfast in the morning, but dinner at Il Bacaro is really the best.

I did have a night by myself at the beginning of the week before Sarah arrived and for the first time in a long time was able to get a really great pizza and a few beers.  You wouldn't think something like that can put a smile on your face, but when you can close your eyes and think you're either in the North End in Boston or on Grand Avenue in St. Paul, life is good.  If only there would have been a TV with a football game on.......  We had some great pasta dishes as well the following evening, but tough not to go back to the well with pizza like that.

So I spent the first half of the week at work and would then grab Sarah and we would head out to dinner.  Eating in Georgetown is more adventurous than just walking across the street to the mall the way a normal evening goes for me.  We had gotten a recommendation for the Mews Cafe and decided to check it out.  It was only 4 blocks from where we were staying but this city isn't exactly laid out in a grid.  We went strolling down the middle of the street with our umbrellas because the sidewalks are full of cafes or too narrow to walk down.  At our first intersection we turned right and immediately squeezed onto the sidewalk.  One city bus driver decided not to wait for the bus in front of him to pick up/drop off people and went around him.  However, these streets weren't exactly built with buses in mind.  From the safety of our sidewalk (and brick pillar covered in plaster) we saw two buses play a game of chicken with each other.  Somehow they missed by inches and I got the feeling this was an all too common occurrence and we were worried for no reason.  Needless to say I'll stick to taxis in Penang.

After multiple turns down alleys and two "reggae/Jamaican themed restaurants" we found the cafe.  The walk home would prove that it really was close to where we were staying, but it didn't feel like it at the time.  I had beef Rendang (like a curry) and Sarah had Nasi Lemak (chicken and coconut rice with vegetables).  However, the fried bananas and homemade ice cream for dessert were what will bring me back.  That is, of course, assuming I can actually find it again.

9/23/12 - F1 Weekend

When we moved to Singapore in July one of the first things people would ask is "are you going to the F1 night race?"  It sounded interesting, but considering my sole experience with Formula 1 was watching Jean Girard drive the Perrier car in an underrated Will Ferrell movie, I was a little skeptical.  If the whole city is talking up something, its probably not a good idea to miss it.  So, we ended up getting tickets to the Saturday night qualifying session.  The real reason we went Saturday will become apparent shortly, but that seemed like a good compromise.  Watch qualifying at the track Saturday and if it was really interesting we could watch the race on TV Sunday evening.

We got off the MRT downtown and this was one of the first sights you saw.  Everybody really pulled out all the stops for this one.  Its a small picture, but in the upper lefthand quadrant you can see some lights.  Why wouldn't you charter a helicopter to watch race weekend from above?

The noise and the speed of the cars were obviously the two aspects that stood out the most (once you got past staring at all the buildings lit up).  If you tried to watch a car drive by you it was like standing on the tee box to the side at a golf tournament and trying to watch someone hit their drive.  You might catch it for an instant, but then its 200 yards up the fairway curving around a dogleg.







We'll stick with the golf analogy.  Now pretend that an angry swarm of bees is flying towards the guy who is teeing off.  Only its not a few hundred bees, its a few hundred million. And they are carrying chains saws and machine guns.  And they are using them.  You can hear them off in the distance, but can't see them.

All of a sudden the bees have taken form and look like a blue and red Red Bull blur for an instant, but are then gone.  Trust me, if any pro golfer was teeing off with this noise their whole bag of clubs would be broken.  Might up the entertainment value though.  Luckily we had ear plugs.  You didn't think they were working, but then you took one out to adjust it and you thought the world might be ending.

I did wimp out and didn't bring the good camera. Couldn't tell how much of a hassle it would be with security.  So these are all iPhone and a few point and shoot shots. Its probably just as good as you could never get a clear shot through all the guard railing.  Though I guess I shouldn't complain about something that is designed to keep you safe if a tire flies off a car at 200 MPH.

After the cars are finished each night they have a big concert on the cricket club pitch.  Sunday will be Katy Perry.  Saturday night was...... Maroon 5.  For anyone that knows Sarah you now know how we ended up with Saturday vs. Sunday tickets.  Somehow this was her 4th time seeing Maroon 5 (what I'm a little embarrassed about is it was my 2nd).  We spent about 15 minutes debating whether or not Adam Levine finished filming the Voice 2 days ago, hopped a plane, landed, performed and is heading straight back.  Regardless, the life of a rock star still appears to be a good gig if you can get it.

So after all that I don't think we're going to be buying our team Ferrari or Red Bull shirts and traveling the world to watch F1, but if you're ever in Singapore at the right time this would absolutely be on the must do list.

9/17/2012 - Fall Singapore Style

I think this past week it finally hit us that even though our bodies mentally expect fall to happen shortly...... its not going to.  A few trees by our house had dropped a bunch of leaves that even made it smell a bit like fall.  I keep expecting the trees that dropped them to just become magically green again overnight.  Maybe fall is 2 days here?

I did have the odd experience of going to the airport Monday morning and watching Packer updates on my phone at 6 AM.  What made it weirder was to get in to work on Friday and have Packer updates coming through again?!?  Maybe it makes more sense when these things are happening at night for you vs. the bleary eyed morning, but just a little unsettling.

I was rescued from sports ticker update purgatory by the little brother on Sunday morning.  Thanks to the Badgers playing a night game and what can only be called the magic of the Big 10 Network I got to watch the band jump around and Bucky squeak out one of the uglier wins I've ever seen.  Still, being able to watch an ugly win on a 10 inch screen was a great way to start the day.  If only we could find some Spotted Cow for the next game.....

Afterwards it was off to brunch in Rochester Park, one of the "up and coming" areas of Singapore.  Makes you wonder how you become up and coming or "the next big thing."  Or I just need to quit having random thoughts like that.  Nice that its only 2 subway stops away.

To celebrate the Badger "win" I ordered a breakfast skillet with eggs, bacon, potatoes and baked beans.  So it may have been more of an Australian breakfast skillet instead of a Wisconsin one.  Still reminded you of a something you could get for breakfast at Mickies Dairy Bar in Madison. 

We stopped at the grocery store on the way home to pick up some snacks and just couldn't pass up the coconuts anymore.  Rumor has it they are better at rehydrating you than Gatorade and you only have to be in the sun for about 5 minutes here before you need some serious rehydrating.  Afterwards it was back to some homework and accounting, but nice to be able to knock that out on the porch.

F1 Night Race is next weekend!  Might be finally time to give the new camera a work out.

9/8/12 - Market Day

In our never ending search to find a better microbrewery we went to the original in Singapore last night.   The Red Dot brewhouse is in the Dempsey Hill area that actually used to be old British army barracks.  So all the old buildings (mess hall, admin offices, officer houses, etc) have been converted into shops, bars and restaurants.

Its only 1.8 km from our condo, but it was raining so we ventured out on the bus.  Sarah is becoming a bit of an expert at the bus schedule and protocol because she has to take it to get to school.  I'm still more accustomed to planes, trains and automobiles, so this was a new adventure for me.  My first mistake was not running to the bus stop when we could see ours there.  Apparently they will wait if you flag them down.  I just assumed another would be along in 5 minutes like the train.  20 minutes later, after sitting on a clammy aluminum bench, lesson learned.

We hadn't made a reservation which resulted in us sitting at a table outside in the courtyard.  This would have been fine if not for the occasional rain drop sneaking its way through the dense vegetation above us.  Eventually we were moved under an awning and we could eat our burger and satay without fear of a rogue drop hitting your nose.  They also had what can only be described as "cheese filled tator tots" so yes, we will be back.

When we got home I learned firsthand about Sarah's nightly entrance tradition into our condo building.  If you look above the light you can see one of our tiny little lizard "friends."  Apparently there are usually 3 in this area.  So if she can count 3 of them then she knows they haven't snuck into our building and can mentally tell them to stay out of our place.  We only saw 2 last night, but we have a screen over the window now, so we have an extra line of defense.

I know this sounds a bit ridiculous, but I finally got moving fast enough on the weekend to head over to the market.  Yes, the market that is open until noon.  It hasn't been an awake issue, more of a general "there's coffee and a porch to sit on here, its hot outside and I don't feel like walking across the street" issue.  

The good news is I cracked the code of finding fresher, less expensive produce on this island.  Bag of vegetables and a bag of fruit for about $12 total.  I already ate one of these little tiny bananas and the pineapple sitting in the refrigerator isn't going to last much longer.  Plus, I found a starfruit the size of a small nerf football.

The highlight of the morning might have been walking back from the market.  I was listening to the PTI podcast from yesterday (have to keep up on my US sports, especially with football season kicking in) and I almost did a double take when a man walked past me who was a dead ringer for poker player Scotty Nguyen.  I'm sure he isn't in Singapore right now, regardless, the mullet on this guy was world class.  Need to make sure I don't end up at his barber at some point.  2 hours later its still making me smile.

Back to the porch and them some pool time the rest of the day.
   

9/2/12 - A sense of normalcy

 A sense of normalcy.  We spent the weekend essentially doing what we would have back home.  Last week we discovered that Asahi sells their beer in cans slightly larger than average.  You could even say they were "me sized."  Pretty nice when the two of you can share a beer on Friday night at the cheapest bar in Singapore..... our porch.

It was needed too.  First major travel hiccup ocurred Thursday evening when my one hour flight turned into a 5:30 hour delay getting me into Singapore at 1 in the morning instead of 7:30.  I almost left the airport and went back to the hotel, but my luggage was on the plane already and who knows where it would have turned up if I wasn't at the airport to collect it when we landed.  At least traffic wasn't an issue at 1 AM, but I did have to pay the 50% up charge on the taxi for the after midnight service.

Each morning this weekend we got to drink coffee, read the newspaper, catch up on magazines, Sarah played with her iPad (Facebook, Pinterest).  The usual, just a touch warmer.

Saturday we had dinner at Smokey's BBQ, which seemed to get everything right.  They actually have a meat smoker and served brisket, ribs, pulled pork, coleslaw (coleslaw!) as well as microbrews from the U.S.  We all joked that we were actually "full" after dinner.   If it wasn't on the eastern side of the island we could easily end up there more often.  I also saw my first Singapore cockroach on the walk back to the train station, so that made me pause for a second.  But only a second.  If you can find good beef brisket over here, you have to go for it.

A follow up point from last week.  Mike Wilkinson is allegedly playing in Macedonia and Kirk Penney had most recently been playing with the New Zealand national team.  Full disclosure, neither one of those facts have been verified and they are just as likely playing against each other on teams from Mars and Jupiter in the Solar System basketball world cup next month.

Dinner time.  We had lunch again at a ramen noodle and dumpling stand in the Empress Market hawker center that was really good.  We can use chopsticks for a full bowl, but Sarah looks much more coordinated than I do.  Becoming a weekly staple, but it can only hold you over for so long.  Plus Meet the Press is on at 10 PM.  I'm holding out hope that they will interview the empty chair that Clint Eastwood did.  I think it has more stories to tell.