Year of the Dragon

Heated days call for some necessary outdoor swimming

Cousins

I celebrated the beginnings of the dragon year with relatives on both sides of the family. It was an eventful long weekend complete with visitations, non-stop eating, hours of blackjack gambling and my first introduction to the game of Mah Jong: a game based on tile matching and probability (not at all like the computer version I used to play).

 The most expensive bowl of sashimi I've ever eaten in my life. $90. 

I don't ever have to worry about going hungry in Singapore. I've been fed relentlessly. 

My Uncle's beautiful pool.

Light Show @ Marina Bay Sands. 'It's a Wonderful World' played along. Pure loveliness. 

Audience at the Dash Berlin show

Dash Berlin

Dash Berlin's autograph

For the first night of Chinese New Year, I went to a Dash Berlin show at a nightclub called Zouk. I was accompanied by a friend that I met through last year's internship. After the first couple hours of dancing on an elevated platform, we moved closer to the stage at which point, we got Dash Berlin's autograph. With curiousity and deliberate intention, I made my way backstage by ignoring a 'No Entry' sign. The last part of the night was spent dancing on the stage and hanging out with the great Dash Berlin crew.

With great fortune (I am a dragon year baby after all), I was able to start the Chinese New Year with some memorably epic highlights. With the rest of my trip progressing. I plan on taking advantage of each moment. Although I have limited knowledge about Asian traditions, I have noticed that the well-wishing of prosperity has been in constant emphasis for the Chinese New Year. Even McDonald's has capitalized on this with their limited edition 'Prosperity Burger'. Moreover, during this time there are many traditions that people partake in including the exchanging of oranges and ang pow, tossing of a specially made salad and an analysis of the year's celebrated animal.

Although these supposedly lucky traditions can be fun, I create my prosperity through awareness and action. Relying on my shoddy luck is not enough (the evidence is in my poor Blackjack and Mah Jong gambling).

Happy Chinese New Year to all those who celebrate! 

Pam  xx

First Week in Singapore

Clarke Quay by the Singapore River

The world famous Marina Bay Sands

Marina Barrage

Orchard Road - Singapore's premier shopping district. 

Little India

Sweets from Little India

Drinking from a coconut

Haji Lane - filled with adorable boutique stores

I have been enjoying the heat, humidity and sunshine days of Singapore. I get to start my days with doors wide-open to the warmth of the outdoors and cool off in rooms that spin oscillating fans. The last time I was here was nine years ago for a month-long vacation with my family. Now in my solo visit, I am still very much surrounded by relatives. A lot has changed within nine years - my cousins are no longer kids and the land has expanded into a much larger and crowded metropolis in which buildings attempt to compete for the highest climbing point to the sky. Despite these expected changes of growth, the culture of Singapore still vibrates and is very much alive especially with the Chinese New Year approaching. I came at an appropriate time to witness all the traditional confettis, which are not typically around during the rest of the year.

Chinese New Year decorations

Singapore Flyer

 Infinity pool on top of the Marina Bay Sands

"Merlion, dad, Merlion!

 I drank a Singapore Sling in Singapore... it had to be done.

 St. James Powerhouse. Wednesday night = Ladies night in Singapore. Free cover, ten free drink coupons, and we ordered a bottle of Hennessy. Not bad.

After five jam-packed days in Singapore, I decided to spend the sixth day indoors with no agenda. It was perfectly chosen as by noon, buckets of heavy rain poured from the bright sky. The heavier and louder the rain poured down, the more attuned my senses were to watching uncountable streams of large droplets, to hearing the splashes beat against the awning, to smelling the green of the palms and to feeling the humidity that is the result of such a tropical climate. I felt myself wishing for the rain to continue but within a couple of hours, the rain slowed down to a finish and the plants soaked in the last mouthfuls before the sun.

Pam  xx

The Familiar

When I wake in the morning with something to do, I get ready in a patterned ritual. I know exactly how long it will take for me to walk out the front door after turning off the morning alarm. Blinded with water, I can reach for the shampoo without hesitation because I know exactly where I've left it. Without fail, I can always be out of the shower before the bathroom vent timer shuts off. I know where to plug my hair dryer, where to find my make-up, where to find my car keys, and how to lock my front door from the inside. All these things and more, I don't even think about because they have become so familiar to me. Well now, I have butterflies in my tummy - the type you get when you're about to do something extraordinarily unfamiliar. Therefore, I've spent a little more time in my bed nestled between my duvet and the familiar quilted indents of my mattress. I've spent a little more time enjoying meals and drinks in the company of familiar people. I've spent a little more time driving along roads and highways to get myself to familiar destinations. I have butterflies in my tummy because I'm about to escape the comfort of the familiar and delve into places untrodden by my weight. Does the unfamiliar frighten me? A little bit. Is the unfamiliar what I want? Absolutely.

I will be in Southeast Asia until the end of March. Check for updates!

Pam  xx