Audacity of Huge

Singapore is huge (maybe not in area, but at least when it comes to shopping), humid as hell and very clean. I bet that the floors on the subway stations are cleaner than the floor in my old apartment has been at times! Although, I have found one place that actually is dirty. It was a foodcourt in Little India where I had dinner about a week ago, where there were lots of tissues blowing around in the strong wind from the many ceiling fans that moved the air around the court.
The first week over here I lived with a Swedish family who are here as expats, and I lived in luxury for a week. They had a 50 m swimmingpool and a maid living with them, something that I couldn’t really get comfortable with. The pool was great though!

I could get used to this!

Apparently the whole maid-thing is really common amongst the rich Singaporeans, and almost all expats have them (expats usually make really good money, so why not). My hosts said that they probably wouldn’t be able to live like they do without one, since both of them have such long workdays and their daughters have to have someone who takes care of them during the day. The maid came from the Philippines and had two daughters back at home that she supported by working as a maid, but she only saw them once or twice a year since she was working all year round. Every day she made me coffee the way I wanted it, and one morning when I slept really long she made me breakfast that was ready the moment I stepped out of my room (she must have heard my alarmclock). I can’t begin to describe how awkward all of this made me feel, and how provoked I was by the entire situation (once I washed my own dishes after breakfast, victory!). Having that said, it was awesome that I was able to stay there for a week, and I am really grateful towards my host family for taking me in! Did I mention that they had a kickass pool?

I spent my first few days in Singapore exploring the city and walking around everywhere, hanging out with some other exchange students from LiU and getting lost a few times (I did the classical “confused tourist vs. giant fold-out map” on several occasions). The number one thing to do in Singapore is to shop, so I did that several times too. I also noticed that Singaporeans make really funny signs that they put up everywhere.

Down by a place called Marina Bay they have started to build a really luxurious hangout for rich people, right now there is a really fancy hotel there, a big half-finished shopping mall and a concert hall. In the shopping mall they have, besides like 50 brand-name stores, a canal. For some reason they decided that they wanted a canal inside the building and on that little canal (it is like 300 m long) they put two small sampan boats that you can pay for to take a ride in, going from one end of the mall to the other. That is just one of many apparently pointless things that the city is littered with; Singapore really likes to brag about being rich!  If you have lots of money to spend and if you are looking for a good time and some decadency, Singapore is really the place for you!

Marina Bay

Sampan boat ride

The really nice places to hang out in though are found in places like Little India, where me and a another girl from LiU named Sara found a really cool and relaxed backpackers pub, where they apparently have really good live music acts performing now and then. We had a nice cool beer and listened to this Norwegian guy that was playing at the tiny stage by the bar, good times!

On friday night I went clubbing together with two other LiU-students and a Singaporean guy to this place called The Butter Factory. The other girl, Emma, is really awesome and was actually able to talk us in through one of the “reserved guests” lines, even though there were really long queues outside of the club. It was almost like being back home going to NH with a kårkort, go Emma! Once in the club I learned two things: 1) Drinks are really expensive in Singapore, and 2) Singaporeans don’t/won’t/can’t dance. Me and Emma tore up the dancefloor all by ourselves, but it was actually a lot of fun. We had to go outside a few times to warm up though, because the club was so cold and the A/C was on at maximum on the dancefloor (it was like being in a tornado).

Emma, Raymond and Tobbe

Fish pedicures

Overall, the first week in Singapore was really overwhelming, but alot of fun!

Live coverage from DXB

From where I’m sitting on the floor by gate 126 at Dubai International Airport I’m pretty sure I’m the only swede within at least a mile radius, and the only women I can see are middleaged and accompanied by at least 5 children (where are all the hip, young backpackers anyway?). Hello and welcome to the minorityzone! What sets me apart the most from everyone else though is that seems like my copassengers are so accustomed to long-haul flights, while I have no clue what I am doing here (even the kids to the middleaged women seem at home here). Half an hour ago I attempted the famous DXB duty-free shopping, and when a really pretty, wholesome (I look like a trainwreck by the way) saleswoman came up to me to aid me in my quest for the perfect perfume (Versace Versus FTW!) I could hardly get a normal sentence out of my mouth because I became so nervous. Embarrassing! I’ll be going through my gate soon and embark on the last part of my flight, but this whole thing feels so strange that I can’t believe that it is for real.

Ah well, all I can do now is crank up the Toto and pretend that this whole thing isn’t happening.

Giveaway

Jag håller just nu på att packa ner alla mina grejer inför magasineringen under det kommande halvåret. Jag har förbluffande mycket skit i min lägenhet, och väldigt mycket som jag inte vill, kan eller är förmodligen inte är tillåten att ta med till Singapore. Om det är någon som vill ha något så hör av er!

1. Överfadderiet-outfit
2. Fitt-utklädnad
3. Paris Hilton-outfit
4. SWEAT!-affischer föreställande hånglande män
5. Pirataccessoarer
6. Superwoman-outfit
7. Tyg att göra banderoller av till demonstrationer
8. 70-talsoutfit
9. Tuggummi
10. Sombrero
11. Vinfläckad labbrock
12. Kirurgmössor
13. Järnsåg
14. Tygfärg att skriva oppositionella budskap med

Fresh out of the box, the latest model

This week I finally was able to put my (greedy) hands on a brand new HTC Desire, woho!! It is so shiny (with a matte finish of course) and I loves it. Yes I do. To keep with tradition, I of course had to name it. My first phone was called Captain Janeway and the second one Guinan, so the name for my new phone came kinda automatic. Ladies and gentlemen, introducing to you for the very first time: Seven of Nine!

In fact I'm a very scientifically advanced hot mama
Artificially discreet no drama
Digitally chic titanium mama
(reboot)
Ring the alarm-a

Seven of Nine, may your keyboard prove to be too difficult to use when I am trying to text while drunk, may your camera capture everyone at their best side, may your speakers provide me with many hours of eargasmic joy, may you transmit to me the voices of my loved ones from afar and may your facebook application nourish me into addiction.

Bootcamp

I just realised that I’m not just suffering from in the heat like everyone else, I am actually in some sort of pre-Singapore Bootcamp designed to adjust my body to the climate over there. One could think that it makes it easier, but it really doesn’t.

This, however, does: Marina Bay Sands Sky Park

And this: Little India in Singapore

Peppen!

On the other hand, I made some research yesterday about human rights in Singapore. Apparently, Singapore ranks in 133rd place out of 175 in the “press freedom index” 2009 put together by Reporters sans frontières. The internal security department has the permission to imprison individuals who they perceive pose a threat to society, indefinitely and without trial. Amnesty International has some serious criticism against Singapore, read about that here. The most severe criticism are directed towards limitations in freedom of speech. If you’re in the political opposition, you’re basically screwed! Also, male same-sex sexual activities are illegal, and anal and oral sex is only legal  in heterosexual relationships. I also seems like the Jehovah’s Witnesses are banned.

I wonder how much of such things one will notice when spending 4 months there, it certainly will be interesting.

Things that bother me

1. Forgetting my cellphone in Umeå when I travel back home to Linköping

2. Leaving the keys to my apartment behind in Umeå when I travel back home to Linköping

3. Bringing my dear mother’s carkeys with me from Umeå to Linköping

4. The possibility that I might forget my head in Sweden when I leave for a more tropical climate

Nervös? Jag?

Nu har jag äntligen fått tummen ur och faktiskt bokat min biljett till Singapore. Tisdagen den 24/8 bär det av, jag flyger först till Frankfurt från Arlanda och sedan vidare mot Singapore via Dubai med kvällsflyget. Just nu är jag i någon form av episkt upplösningstillstånd och kan inte riktigt förstå att jag faktiskt ska åka iväg, men jag antar att polletten kommer att trilla ner så småningom. Fortfarande känns det som om så mycket är ofärdigt och oklart, jag vet fortfarande inte exakt vilka kurser jag kommer att läsa, om jag kommer att få bo på campus eller vad jag ska göra i Singapore i en halv vecka innan terminsstart. Någonting säger mig att iallafall det senare kommer att lösa sig alldeles galant, hur man kan ha tråkigt i en stad med 5 miljoner invånare från alla hörn i världen är lite svårt att förstå. Jag får iallafall lite tid på mig att lära mig Singlish innan plugget börjar!