I just got back from two weeks in the USA, and a lot happened there. I can't talk about everything, because that's crazy and I'm stupidly jetlagged.
The first week in the USA was spent primarily in New Jersey. We searched for a house during the first three days, and actually found a house we are interested in on day 2. To prevent jinxing anything to do with the house, I will stop there. We also looked around for cars, got oriented with the area (haha, what the heck is a township?), and found that New Jersey people say "coffee" as "cwafee". I was pretty surprised that New Jersey is so... rural. Some houses we saw were essentially in the middle of no-where. The "funniest house award" goes to a property with a pool directly under low-hanging power lines. Not really sure who decided that was safe!
The second week was spent in Massachusetts, during which time I did my BU orientation. I stayed three extra nights (only Thursday night was mandatory), but it was a lot of fun. I met more people than I could possibly remember and even, oddly enough, three kids from my old school. One was kind enough to catch me up on all the town's gossip. Small town stuff :D
I also got to visit my boyfriend, which was neat. I saw the show he was working, which comprised of two monologues, Monocular Man (his website) and one about going to and getting sick in India (Madras). When I remember the second one's name, I'll try and edit this post. We took the T to the theatre, which left much to be desired after taking Singapore's MRT for three years.
Well, I'm home now, and about ready to pass out. I took a nap earlier but still feel like death. Here's to holding out until... 8 pm!
The countdown for moving back to the USA starts... now!
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Nightlife in Singapore
The legal drinking age in Singapore is 18, and many, many people take advantage of it. While some people say it's the best part about living in Singapore, I will politely disagree. However, it's undeniably a cool part about living here. I haven't done a lot of partying, mostly because I waited until I was legal to do so. So, here's some of the places I've been.
Zouk: My first night out! Zouk is a beautiful club, and even though the cover charge is $45, it's worth it for a special occasion. I went to Zouk to see Disclosure, which was pretty neat. The atmosphere is unbelievable, and it's architecturally impressive. Even though the night I went was packed, I still had a good time.
Avalon: Right on Marina Bay, Avalon has an amazing location. The outside is glass, which earns it serious cool points. I went there with Nick a few weekends ago and we had a pretty good time.
Bianca: After-grad was held at Bianca, which is in the heart of Clarke Quay. I must admit, it's tiny. However, it's not a bad club, like many people were saying.
Chupitos: Shots bar! This place is so fun. It has a slightly wild atmosphere while being laid back. Go figure. They have some crazy shots.... worth a try for sure!
Places I want to go: Attica, St. James Power Station
Being able to club in Singapore is great, but one certainly has to keep in mind that there is a degree of risk to it. I haven't gone out that much, but I've seen people get pretty sick. At one party, people were totally floppy drunk... not even sloppy, just falling over. While I do think the drinking age in general should be 18 (if you can die for your country and vote for its leaders, why not be able to have a pint?), I think the attitude towards alcohol that parents and society fosters is extremely important. Americans have a crazy binge culture... in college, kids drink for the sake of drinking. I'm not saying that I don't do that at times, but I can also appreciate a glass of wine at dinner. If people treat alcohol like some forbidden substance, others will want it even more.
Make of that what you will.
Zouk: My first night out! Zouk is a beautiful club, and even though the cover charge is $45, it's worth it for a special occasion. I went to Zouk to see Disclosure, which was pretty neat. The atmosphere is unbelievable, and it's architecturally impressive. Even though the night I went was packed, I still had a good time.
Avalon: Right on Marina Bay, Avalon has an amazing location. The outside is glass, which earns it serious cool points. I went there with Nick a few weekends ago and we had a pretty good time.
Bianca: After-grad was held at Bianca, which is in the heart of Clarke Quay. I must admit, it's tiny. However, it's not a bad club, like many people were saying.
Chupitos: Shots bar! This place is so fun. It has a slightly wild atmosphere while being laid back. Go figure. They have some crazy shots.... worth a try for sure!
Places I want to go: Attica, St. James Power Station
Being able to club in Singapore is great, but one certainly has to keep in mind that there is a degree of risk to it. I haven't gone out that much, but I've seen people get pretty sick. At one party, people were totally floppy drunk... not even sloppy, just falling over. While I do think the drinking age in general should be 18 (if you can die for your country and vote for its leaders, why not be able to have a pint?), I think the attitude towards alcohol that parents and society fosters is extremely important. Americans have a crazy binge culture... in college, kids drink for the sake of drinking. I'm not saying that I don't do that at times, but I can also appreciate a glass of wine at dinner. If people treat alcohol like some forbidden substance, others will want it even more.
Make of that what you will.
Friday, June 6, 2014
I Graduated
Well, it's been two days since I graduated from high school, and it's been a whirlwind. I successfully walked across the stage, shook hands with the principal, and got my diploma. I currently have no idea where said diploma is, but it's floating around my house somewhere. Good enough.
Below is the Senior Video, which is tradition. My class was super lucky to get an awesome film guy, as well as a great animator, to create this video. Check it out, it's pretty darn awesome. I tie my pointe shoes in it and do a kick. However, I'm not the girl walking away with the pointe shoes... my legs aren't that long!
Since graduation, I feel like I've been partying and sleeping non-stop. It's strange how much freer I feel now that I'm not in high school. I can do what I want and hang out with who I'd like... the social boundaries are gone.
WOOHOO! I GRADUATED!
Below is the Senior Video, which is tradition. My class was super lucky to get an awesome film guy, as well as a great animator, to create this video. Check it out, it's pretty darn awesome. I tie my pointe shoes in it and do a kick. However, I'm not the girl walking away with the pointe shoes... my legs aren't that long!
Since graduation, I feel like I've been partying and sleeping non-stop. It's strange how much freer I feel now that I'm not in high school. I can do what I want and hang out with who I'd like... the social boundaries are gone.
WOOHOO! I GRADUATED!
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
The Eve of Graduation
Tomorrow, I graduate from high school.
What a crazy statement to be able to write. Tomorrow, I'm going to be able to call myself an alumni of something. I wonder what freshman-year Natalie would have thought. Graduating on a tiny island with a class I really don't know is so different from the small town I grew up in. There were kids that I went to preschool with that I would have graduated with. I wish I had been able to do so.
To be honest, I think high school graduation has more significance to parents than students. Yes, graduating high school is an accomplishment... I guess. In this day and age in which having a bachelor's degree gets you an interview, not a job, a high school diploma doesn't really matter. It's not that hard to graduate from high school in the environment I live in. In many places, graduating from high school is in fact an achievement. But here in Singapore, if you don't graduate from high school, something is seriously wrong with you.
Here in Singapore, at least in expat-land Singapore, the accomplishment goes to the parents. The parents, who have managed to transplant their lives who knows how many times. The parents, who have managed to raise mostly-functioning kids despite strange circumstances and even stranger experiences at times, deserve the recognition. Graduating from a school that is willing to spoon-feed and hand-lead students to receiving their diploma is not an accomplishment. But to support and guide someone through this craziness certainly is.
So, on the eve of my high school graduation, I want to thank my parents. My parents, who have done more for me than I could ever name. Thank you.
What a crazy statement to be able to write. Tomorrow, I'm going to be able to call myself an alumni of something. I wonder what freshman-year Natalie would have thought. Graduating on a tiny island with a class I really don't know is so different from the small town I grew up in. There were kids that I went to preschool with that I would have graduated with. I wish I had been able to do so.
To be honest, I think high school graduation has more significance to parents than students. Yes, graduating high school is an accomplishment... I guess. In this day and age in which having a bachelor's degree gets you an interview, not a job, a high school diploma doesn't really matter. It's not that hard to graduate from high school in the environment I live in. In many places, graduating from high school is in fact an achievement. But here in Singapore, if you don't graduate from high school, something is seriously wrong with you.
Here in Singapore, at least in expat-land Singapore, the accomplishment goes to the parents. The parents, who have managed to transplant their lives who knows how many times. The parents, who have managed to raise mostly-functioning kids despite strange circumstances and even stranger experiences at times, deserve the recognition. Graduating from a school that is willing to spoon-feed and hand-lead students to receiving their diploma is not an accomplishment. But to support and guide someone through this craziness certainly is.
So, on the eve of my high school graduation, I want to thank my parents. My parents, who have done more for me than I could ever name. Thank you.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Legality Smells Like Vodka Cranberry
Well, I had my first weekend out as a legal adult here in Singapore. I can't say it was the best weekend ever, mostly because I ended up becoming a dictator Friday night after people got sick. For their privacy, I'm not going to tell those stories on this blog. I will say, however, that being young does not mean you are invincible. Also, I need a substantial amount of money back after SOMEONE got sick in the taxi. And it wasn't me. Oh no, it wasn't. The end.
I had a birthday tea on Saturday, which was really fun. We went to the Fullerton Hotel for the second seating of afternoon tea. The food was pretty good, but the environment made the whole event quite lovely. I am so lucky that I was able to find a good group of girls to hang out with as the semester comes to a close.
After tea time I went clubbing for the very first time ever. Most kids here in Singapore do club... but I'm not here to bust my classmates. Anyways, I went to Zouk, which is an internationally recognised club. It's beautiful inside. It does not look like much from the outside, but inside there are tunnels and lights and smoke puffing from machines every 30 seconds. Disclosure was playing, which was nice except that there were about a million people on the dance floor. People were pushing rather than dancing and the idiots that decided to bring drinks onto the dance floor spilled them everywhere. I personally got splashed with a vodka cranberry, which I really did not appreciate. Regardless, I can say it was an experience.
It's funny how in Singapore for us expat kids, legality means drinking. It doesn't mean driving (who wants to drive on this little island?!), and it doesn't mean voting. It means self-indulging and having wild nights, remembering half of it the next day (though I remember everything). It also means dancing on platforms and getting videos posted online, then laughing through worry that someone important will see it.
Granted, I'm underage in America but posting about drinking in Singapore. Are there potential repercussions? I don't know yet. If there are, I'll take this post down. However, anyone trying to convince themselves that American kids don't drink in America as teenagers really need to get a grip. I personally didn't, but I know many that did. Alcohol is one of those funny topics, isn't it?
I had a birthday tea on Saturday, which was really fun. We went to the Fullerton Hotel for the second seating of afternoon tea. The food was pretty good, but the environment made the whole event quite lovely. I am so lucky that I was able to find a good group of girls to hang out with as the semester comes to a close.
After tea time I went clubbing for the very first time ever. Most kids here in Singapore do club... but I'm not here to bust my classmates. Anyways, I went to Zouk, which is an internationally recognised club. It's beautiful inside. It does not look like much from the outside, but inside there are tunnels and lights and smoke puffing from machines every 30 seconds. Disclosure was playing, which was nice except that there were about a million people on the dance floor. People were pushing rather than dancing and the idiots that decided to bring drinks onto the dance floor spilled them everywhere. I personally got splashed with a vodka cranberry, which I really did not appreciate. Regardless, I can say it was an experience.
It's funny how in Singapore for us expat kids, legality means drinking. It doesn't mean driving (who wants to drive on this little island?!), and it doesn't mean voting. It means self-indulging and having wild nights, remembering half of it the next day (though I remember everything). It also means dancing on platforms and getting videos posted online, then laughing through worry that someone important will see it.
Granted, I'm underage in America but posting about drinking in Singapore. Are there potential repercussions? I don't know yet. If there are, I'll take this post down. However, anyone trying to convince themselves that American kids don't drink in America as teenagers really need to get a grip. I personally didn't, but I know many that did. Alcohol is one of those funny topics, isn't it?
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
The Eve of Eighteen
In less than three hours by the time I post this blog, I will be eighteen years old. Isn't that crazy? I started this blog as a scared fifteen year old getting ready to enter sophomore year of high school. Now I sit, a lazy senior, waiting to take two more AP exams before I can avoid anything "College Board" related again. In less than three hours I can vote. I can drink (here in Singapore, that is). I can be tried in court as an adult. Big things, that all happen in less than three hours.
At the moment though, I must admit that I've been terribly distracted by none other than the menace that lives above me in this apartment. There's obviously a child in the bedroom above me, for I can hear it screaming and seemingly jump on the bed. It's very annoying. What is worse is that I hear yelling at various times during the day. Sometimes I can hear individual words. Currently I hear a tantrum. It makes me want to tear my hair out.
So even though I'm about to become an adult, I still get annoyed by very childish things. Perhaps that's the beauty of the phase known as "young adulthood"...
I suppose I'll know for sure when I'm older.
At least I'll see Nick tomorrow! He flew in this morning, and I am extremely excited.
At the moment though, I must admit that I've been terribly distracted by none other than the menace that lives above me in this apartment. There's obviously a child in the bedroom above me, for I can hear it screaming and seemingly jump on the bed. It's very annoying. What is worse is that I hear yelling at various times during the day. Sometimes I can hear individual words. Currently I hear a tantrum. It makes me want to tear my hair out.
So even though I'm about to become an adult, I still get annoyed by very childish things. Perhaps that's the beauty of the phase known as "young adulthood"...
I suppose I'll know for sure when I'm older.
At least I'll see Nick tomorrow! He flew in this morning, and I am extremely excited.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Best Eats According to Natalie
When I was walking home from the MRT with a bubble tea cup in hand, I started thinking about all the wonderful food in Singapore- and how I'll have to say goodbye to it all in about two months! That made me very sad, but this list will not. Here's my list of favourite places to eat (and what I get)!
Food:
Roti Prata: My school does decent roti prata, but there's a Muslim food stall in Newton that makes prata that's sort of like cake. Super thick, chewy, and the curry is awesome!
Chicken Rice: Boon Tong Key is awesome. I find that mall hawkers are good, but the stuff that's $3 or less and comes wrapped in paper beats it every time.
Laksa: The stall in ION is pretty good. I only eat this once in a while.
Chili Crab: Jumbo's is good. So is No Signboard Seafood. Also, Long Beach.
TWG: It has surprisingly good food, though pricy. The smoked salmon and lamb is notable.
Ban Mee: It's soup. It's heavenly. Also, it's super filling.
Chicken Congee: I get this at chicken rice places sometimes. I have no idea why people think salty rice porridge with chicken and oil floating on top is weird. It's wonderful.
"Veggie"-- I'm pretty certain this stuff is bok choy. Who cares when it has oyster sauce on it?
Chicken wings: BBQ'd and greasy, best eaten outside.
Kuay Teow: Thick noodles, lots of bean sprouts and mysterious green veggie, and chicken. Mr. Ho's at school is such a guilty pleasure.
Char siew noodles: Chinese prepared pork, these funky elastic-y noodles, and mystery sauce of tasty.
Snacks:
Old Chang Kee-- Curry-O (curry puff with chicken, egg and potato)
BreadTalk: The cheesy sausage bun is so bad for you, but so good. Also Black Pearl when they have it.
To be honest, I don't normally eat savoury snacks.
Sweets:
Macaroons: TWG has pretty good tea themed ones, but you can get tasty ones throughout the island if you don't mind paying like $2.50 each.
Kue things: Not sure what the real name for these are, but they are funny jelly things that are normally brightly coloured. Often found at fruit stands.
Mochi Sweets: Strawberry, peach, and green tea mochi with cream inside!
Pulot Hitam: Black rice soup with condensed milk and sometimes ice cream. Maybe an acquired taste. My aunt said it looked like drowned ants, but its really good.
Frozen Treats:
Bread Ice Cream: Find along Orchard Road for $1. Slice of ice cream in a piece of rainbow bread
Ice Kachang: Local thing with lots of colour and various Asian goodies. The aunties at Great World City sometimes give me extra condensed milk on mine
Frozen Yogurt: Great World City has like 3 frozen yogurt places. I like the self-serve one or Yoguru the best.
Gelatissimo: YUM. Expensive as heck, but wow.
Drinks:
Gong Cha-- Regular bubble tea, Lemon Calpis
ShareTea-- Strawberry Ice Tea. Unnatural colour, but yummy!
Each-a-Cup: Milk tea ice-blended, basically any ice blended (kinda like a slushy)
Toast Box: Teh and Kopi (tea and coffee with condensed milk)
Sjora: Passion fruit flavoured drink. I get it when I go to Yoshinoya sometimes.
TWG: Fancy teas in a pretty pot. I like "dancing tea" and "princess tea"
Lime Juice: Find anywhere. Different than American lime juice. Its cousin calamansi juice is also wonderful.
Food:
Roti Prata: My school does decent roti prata, but there's a Muslim food stall in Newton that makes prata that's sort of like cake. Super thick, chewy, and the curry is awesome!
Chicken Rice: Boon Tong Key is awesome. I find that mall hawkers are good, but the stuff that's $3 or less and comes wrapped in paper beats it every time.
Laksa: The stall in ION is pretty good. I only eat this once in a while.
Chili Crab: Jumbo's is good. So is No Signboard Seafood. Also, Long Beach.
TWG: It has surprisingly good food, though pricy. The smoked salmon and lamb is notable.
Ban Mee: It's soup. It's heavenly. Also, it's super filling.
Chicken Congee: I get this at chicken rice places sometimes. I have no idea why people think salty rice porridge with chicken and oil floating on top is weird. It's wonderful.
"Veggie"-- I'm pretty certain this stuff is bok choy. Who cares when it has oyster sauce on it?
Chicken wings: BBQ'd and greasy, best eaten outside.
Kuay Teow: Thick noodles, lots of bean sprouts and mysterious green veggie, and chicken. Mr. Ho's at school is such a guilty pleasure.
Char siew noodles: Chinese prepared pork, these funky elastic-y noodles, and mystery sauce of tasty.
Snacks:
Old Chang Kee-- Curry-O (curry puff with chicken, egg and potato)
BreadTalk: The cheesy sausage bun is so bad for you, but so good. Also Black Pearl when they have it.
To be honest, I don't normally eat savoury snacks.
Sweets:
Macaroons: TWG has pretty good tea themed ones, but you can get tasty ones throughout the island if you don't mind paying like $2.50 each.
Kue things: Not sure what the real name for these are, but they are funny jelly things that are normally brightly coloured. Often found at fruit stands.
Mochi Sweets: Strawberry, peach, and green tea mochi with cream inside!
Pulot Hitam: Black rice soup with condensed milk and sometimes ice cream. Maybe an acquired taste. My aunt said it looked like drowned ants, but its really good.
Frozen Treats:
Bread Ice Cream: Find along Orchard Road for $1. Slice of ice cream in a piece of rainbow bread
Ice Kachang: Local thing with lots of colour and various Asian goodies. The aunties at Great World City sometimes give me extra condensed milk on mine
Frozen Yogurt: Great World City has like 3 frozen yogurt places. I like the self-serve one or Yoguru the best.
Gelatissimo: YUM. Expensive as heck, but wow.
Drinks:
Gong Cha-- Regular bubble tea, Lemon Calpis
ShareTea-- Strawberry Ice Tea. Unnatural colour, but yummy!
Each-a-Cup: Milk tea ice-blended, basically any ice blended (kinda like a slushy)
Toast Box: Teh and Kopi (tea and coffee with condensed milk)
Sjora: Passion fruit flavoured drink. I get it when I go to Yoshinoya sometimes.
TWG: Fancy teas in a pretty pot. I like "dancing tea" and "princess tea"
Lime Juice: Find anywhere. Different than American lime juice. Its cousin calamansi juice is also wonderful.
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