The Singaporean government tries to keep everyone in line by instituting strict laws and penalties- of course, Singapore is infamous for this and most foreigners know that you can't chew gum, do any drugs (automatic death penalty), jaywalk, etc. The aspect of this "rule of law culture" that I most get a kick out of are the government banners everywhere on the street showing a person breaking the law, with the slogan "Think you can do such-and-such? THINK AGAIN." Ha ha, I love those. I've seen those banners for jaywalking and weaving in and out of traffic. One of my friends told me she saw a similar banner showing a person trying to squat on a western-style toilet (Singapore has both western-style toilets and more traditional squat toilets, and I guess some people don't understand the concept of a sit-down toilet and try to climb up on the toilet and squat, thus, as you can guess, causing a huge mess).

I had a very eventful weekend. Signed up for a tour of China Town sponsored by the university on Saturday. The best part of the day was a visit to the Chinese Heritage Center. The center is a cleverly-designed museum that showcases life in China Town at the turn of the century. Half of the museum is a replica of the living quarters of the residents of China Town at that time- one can walk through and looking into cell-like rooms, kitchens, and workshops in order to understand what living conditions were like back then (extremely cramped and poor). In fact, I think it is one of the best cultural museums I've been to because of this aspect- aside from pictures, films, etc. it gave a real picture of what life was like for the Chinese immigrants.

Saturday evening I went to a beach party sponsored by the Graduate Students Society. The party was held on Sentosa Island- a small island directly to the south of the city. Sentosa is mostly a resort and man-made beaches, although it was still lovely, and good to know that there is a beach nearby where I can escape the urban jungle. Though I am hoping that Pulau Ubin (another nearby island) offers a more genuine (or perhaps I should say less resort-like) beach experience.

The party was definitely fun, although kind of like reverting to college madness. lots of European exchange students making themselves sick from the free flow of alcohol.

I'm beginning to explore more of Singapore. I have now been to China Town, Boat Quay, and Orchard Road, as well as Little India, Kampung Glam, Raffles, Clarke Quay, and the Harbour Front. Orchard Road is the shopping mecca of Singapore. Huge shopping malls and department stores line the street, selling everything from designer shoes to knock-off watches and tourist t-shirts. There are a few good reasons to visit Orchard Road, primarily big book stores and movie theatres. Boat Quay is one of the more picturesque areas on the waterfront- it is across from the Asian Civilizations museum and is basically a row of restaurants with patio dining on the waterfront. China Town is just what you would imagine- a mini China squeezed into an 8 - 10 block radius. I loved it. There are cheap merchandise stalls, shops selling beautiful antiques, and a whole street of hawker stalls selling Chinese food. I want to go back at night because it looks like they block off the street and light paper lanterns all around.

An observation about Singapore: Singaporeans are super good at marketing. Everywhere you go there are advertisements and many are quite high-tech and catchy. In the underpasses on Orchard Road the walls are lined with billboards that change in perfect synchronization. The clubs at school must have so much money because their event posters are huge and poster-like with color pictures and advertising catch-phrases.

Melaka, Malaysia is small, artsy town in the southwest of Malaysia. A 4.5 hour bus ride from Singapore (a small chunk of which is spent at immigration), Melaka is an easy weekend trip. I went to Melaka to meet up with my good friend Chizuru, who was passing through Malaysia on her way to India. Chizuru and I somehow both managed to arrive at the Traveller's Lodge in Melaka within half an hour of each other, quite a feat seeing as we both were a bit delayed getting there, and I spent about an extra hour walking around the town just trying to find the hostel. First, for anyone going to Melaka, Chizuru and I definitely recommend staying at the Traveller's Lodge. It's inexpensive, very clean, friendly, and in a good location. Chiz and I actually spent a good deal of time just lounging in our air conditioned room and getting caught up on each other's lives (while enjoying some decadent wine and chocolate). Aside from long chats between friends, we spent most of our time wandering around Melaka's China Town, popping in and out of clothing and crafts shops and art galleries. We both loved the local artists in Melaka, falling particularly hard for the paintings by an artist named Titi, who was as friendly as he was talented. I have to confess that we didn't do much besides talk, shop, and eat. We made a point of sampling some of the local baba nyonya delicacies at Cafe 1511, and went to a really fabulous make-your-own-satay restaurant called Capitol Satay.

The American influence is omnipresent in Singapore. Televisions on the public buses screen American shows and advertise American movies ("Must Love Dogs" is getting a lot of promotion out here). American brands are everywhere-- I can probably find almost any store out here that I could find in the States. For that matter, the Scandinavians also seem to be doing well, as many people have Nokia phones and I live right next to an IKEA (in fact, my first ever visit to IKEA was here in Singapore). One of the cool things about Singapore is that it is such an interesting mix of cultures. Not only is the Western influence unavoidable, but, of course, Asia has made its mark here as well. Today, when I was talking with my research advisor about the different ethnic areas of town-- Little India, Kampung Glam (Malaysian), Arab Street, China Town-- he made the comment that Singapore is actually "one big China Town." In many ways this is true, as the Chinese make-up by far the largest proportion of Singaporean people and the Chinese way of doing things is reflected in government and business. Singapore has differentiated itself from China, however, in promoting its multiracial society. I am still trying to grasp how exactly this all works, as it seems clear to me that many people associate with those from their respective ethnic and language groups (walking down the street you may pass different small groups of people speaking in Mandarin, Hindi, Malay, and other dialects), but at the same time nearly everyone in Singapore speaks English and groups communicate with each other through English. Also, I believe the government has an official policy of trying to make the different groups mingle- for example, in their housing scheme there are quotas (or something of that sort) that say, for example, "so many Malays must live in this neighborhood, or building, so that the neighborhood remains multi-racial." It's all very structured. Probably the most structured/regulated place I have ever been. I have yet to decide if I think the regulations are too invasive, or rather, easy to live with.

Singapore turned 40 on August 9th, and in recognition of this occasion, the city hosted a whole week of celebration. I attended the celebration at Marina Bay on Sunday evening with a group of foreign students from China, Japan, and Hong Kong who all live in the same building as myself. After making many transfers between trains and buses, we found our way to the celebration site, and decided to start the evening with a traditional "steamboat" dinner. Steamboat reminded me of Japanese suki yaki because it was a pot filled with boiling broth placed in the center of the table-- everyone then went to a buffet of raw meats and vegatables and filled heaping plates to bring back to cook in the broth. This particular steamboat had the added element of a grill surrounding the pot where each diner could choose to grill meats and vegetables instead of boiling them. It was a kind of make-your-own dinner event (which I love). Most of us foreign students were amateurs at steamboat, and managed to burn many of our meats on the grill, before we realized that we were supposed to put some oil on the grill to prevent burning. Alas, we ended up making such delicacies as "cucumbers a la charcoal." The meal ended with a free ice cream bar-- flavors to choosed from: red bean or corn. I really have a hard time getting used to beans and corn as the dessert flavor of preference in this region of the world.

After dinner, we made our way out to the concert grounds, where Singapore played host to a number of famous singers from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. We watched a sort of "Asian Spice Girls" performance before the stage fell silent for the fireworks show. And what a show! These fireworks far out-performed any I had ever seen. In the U.S. we tend to think that the most magnificent fireworks involve the biggest explosions, but here the fireworks became a form of art, like a dance. Each night during the celebration Singapore hosted a different fireworks "choreographer" from around the world. The man who put on our show was from France, and the entire show was beautifully choreographed to music and sound-effects blasted through speakers. It was so beautiful that there were none of the "oohs" and "ahs" of a usual fireworks display, but instead a deep silence of appreciation.

The blog is officially up and running once again as I set off on a new set of adventures abroad.... It all starts today, my first day in Singapore. I don't have a lot to report yet, as most everything is a bit of a blur, as it usually is on the first day in a new place. The taxi ride from the airport across town to my apartment gave my first glimpse of what it really means to be one of the world's busiest ports-- Singapore's shore is lined with enormous cranes and huge shipping boxes, and boats dot the horizon. What I saw of Singapore's downtown as we sped past on the highway included soaring skyscrapers and more skyscrapers under construction. I live somewhere on the edges of town (I am really not quite sure where yet), on the 15th floor of an apartment complex that can be defined more by it's stark simplicity than its comfort. I share a rather small, linoleum-covered bedroom with another girl, whom I have yet to meet. As far as I can tell, there is no air conditioner, which was a big disappointment after living a whole summer in DC with inadequate AC. I guess I had nothing to complain about.... So, I'm feeling a bit skeptical about my housing arrangements, but will reserve judgment for the time being. I've spent the last few hours wandering around the NUS campus trying to get my bearings-- quite a task because the campus is so huge! Not much to report besides the fact that I managed to successfully register for classes. Next I need to meet my advisor and register for my student visa.