I'm back in the US! Sitting at my mom's house about to embark upon some serious bar studying. Very happy to be back in the US - already enjoying the many comforts of things like a comfortable bed, cool nights, fresh Oregon strawberries, and the company of friends and family. So, I'm off on my many weeks of studying.... since this blog is targeted toward my at-home audience while I am traveling overseas, it is temporarily suspended until the next big overseas adventure. I will make sure to send out an email when that time comes, though it probably won't be for a couple of years. The horror! ;-o Until then, you all know how to contact me via email- I'm here and very contactable!

My last day in Singapore, and what do I do? Sit around at home, clean my room, study, get bored, contemplate going out and then think that there isn't really anywhere I want to go, or anyone to go anywhere with.... Not a very exciting last day, let alone last week, in Singapore! I was talking to my roommate, Doshila, today and she mentioned that she thought no one ever fell in love with Singapore. It's a good place to live for awhile, but, well, there really isn't all that much to LOVE about this city. Like it, sure, but there's no passion here. Funny, I've had this conversation with multiple people lately. When Miah was visiting we talked a lot about how this is a town where the White Man is God- it's almost still colonial in some of its mindsets. These white, male expats sweep in and live in their high-rise condominiums on Orchard Rd. They hold really high-paying exec positions at multinational corporations and spend their days having people suck up to them at work and their nights being fawned over by local women. After this most recent visit, Miah even started to think twice about moving here. She's not sure if she could put up with that sort of environment and attitude- not to mention that she (and any woman moving here actually) would have to just give up on the idea of finding any sort of relationship, let alone even dating, while here! Apparently a very high number of marriages break up out here, mostly because the husbands can't resist the local temptation. Quite sickening really.

What was the point of this discussion? Ah, well, I think it is that I had a good year here but I'm not actually going to miss Singapore that much. The things I love to do here are not really special to this city- going out to eat with friends, wandering around town and shops at night, going to the movies, etc. These are things I enjoy doing anywhere. And indeed, I am really looking forward to hanging out with all my friends in DC! I will miss travelling around the region- I do LOVE places like Bangkok, Chiangmai, Luang Prabang, Hoi An, Ubud.... but I will be back on vacation sometime, no doubt!

A friend suggested that I take this week off to enjoy my last week in Singapore and go visit my favorite spots, etc. But I couldn't think of a single thing that I really wanted to do before I left. huh. I think I will try to get some studying done instead. Definitely time to head out of here... 4 days.

Less than a week now until I leave Singapore, and I'm getting that feeling everytime I go anywhere that it is my last time there (probably true for awhile- though I'll probably be back to Singapore in the future. It is an easy stop-over on the way to many places). Yesterday I had my last "outing" and went with Miah to Pulau Ubin, a small island off the East coast of Singapore. It is known for being a rustic island that is an escape from the urban atmosphere of Singapore, and like stepping back in time 30 or so years. Well, I wouldn't exactly rave about Pulau Ubin as a must-see location for any tourist coming to Singapore, but it is kind of a nice place to visit. Something different. There's not really much to do there, and it's quieter than mainland Singapore, which can be a blessed relief. We rented bikes and rode around the island for about an hour, while getting bitten by many mosquitoes, then went and sat near the jetty at a hawker stall where we had chili crab. The East coast is known for its seafood, and the chili crab was definitely good, though I can't say I noticed it being anything special compared to the other chili crab I had with Miah at Chinatown in the fall. It was a very relaxing evening though, and I was glad I had the chance to visit Pulau Ubin before heading home. Here are some pics:

And all of a sudden, like a lightning bolt, the solution came to me... there is no reason I have to actually be in this country that is making it so hard for me to get any studying done! Ah ha, I will just go back to the US! ding ding ding. And I am- May 27th.

Time for another Singapore rant... I have moments when this country just drives me INSANE! And today, unfortunately, I had to deal with more of that Singaporean attitude that drives me up the wall. As most of you probably know, I have decided to do most of my studying at the National Library for the next couple of months. It is air-conditioned, conveniently located, and well-equipped. So I pack up my computer and one book I am currently using to write my thesis, and find my way to the library, only to be told that I am NOT ALLOWED IN. What the hell?!?! Apparently, there is no studying allowed in the library and you can't bring any of your own books in. It's a LIBRARY- that's what library's are for! But no, they have set up a separate study lounge which is the only place students are allowed to study. Of course, the only problem is that this study lounge is extremely small- especially for something that calls itself the "national" library- and is totally full. Ahhhhhhhh.... Do Singaporean rules just seem completely and totally ridiculous to you sometimes? Because they sure do to me. I have NEVER been to a library before where they won't let people in to study. Why is this country trying to make it so hard for me to pass the bar exam and finish my thesis?

We had a public holiday on Friday, so it was a 3-day weekend for most. Singapore has lots of public holidays because it celebrates the religious holidays of its many ethnicities and religions. This particular holiday was Vesak Day, commemorating the birth and enlightenment of Buddha and his entry into Nirvana. Not that I could tell by anything going on in Singapore what the holiday celebrated- I had to look it up. Public holidays really just mean shopping days in Singapore. It is like Boxing Day or Thanksgiving weekend every time there is a public holiday here. Orchard Rd is literally flooded with families and teenagers having a giant shopping outing. It's kind of sad. I want to shout at those parents sometimes to do something more valuable with their holiday and take their kids to the Zoo or Underwater World! Anything besides dragging them around the shops and stopping at KFC for real, valuable "family time." Right. First, this practice is instilling in them the shopping addiction and materialism that is so present in Singapore. Second, no kid loves to stand around in a store while their mom looks at purses! More often than not, the parents just leave their kids in some corner of the store to whine or scream while they then go off and browse the merchandise. Soooo annoying. Obviously I was shopping this weekend too, though, in order to experience the holiday madness, so maybe I don't have the right to complain! I went out to Orchard on Friday to meet Heather since it was her last day in Singapore before going back to Canada for the summer. And then on Saturday I went on an errand run that turned into a marathon endeavor, trying to negotiate the crowds, etc.

Look at me, posting multiple entries after a bit of a dry spell- and photos as well! Not really much to report, except that Heather is going back to Canada on Saturday and I am going to be entering study exile. At least Miah will be here next week so I'll get a few more days of human contact before I retreat into study hell.

So, honoring Heather's last week in Singa (though she will be coming back for at least one more semester), we went to her favorite restaurant, Carnivore, last night. It's one of those Brazilian restaurants where they bring around selections of roasted meat to carve onto your plate, and you eat so much meat that you feel like you never need to eat meat ever again....

Heather's roommate, Jessica, also came, and here is a pic with her:

At last, more Vietnam photos are here!

First, here are some photos around Hoi An, waterfront in town and fields just outside of town, etc:






Now, seeing as motorbikes are an important part of my experience in SE Asia, and I seem to ride them all over the place, here are some of my bikin' photos. I am such a dork (or, as I like to see it, a wise and safety-conscious woman) and always insist on helmets everywhere I go (nobody wears them out here and it is sometimes difficult to find someone that will provide a helmet with the bike!). Oh, and Heather wanted to be as cool as me and take a picture with the motorbike too- though she is always relegated to the back seat in reality :-)





And here is our favorite restaurant ever- Mango Rooms (fusion Asian/Latin). This place is amazing- we went there 3 nights out of 4!! So here is Heather and I at the restaurant and the waitresses striking a Charlie's Angels pose. Oh, and Heather showing extreme skill with the chopsticks, and me enjoying about the only coffee I have ever enjoyed:






Can't sign off without showing a pic of our beautiful hotel room, and of course, me at the beach:

Big non-shocker of the week: the PAP won the elections here in Singa. 82 out of 84 seats. The two non-PAP members with seats were incumbents facing re-election. Singapore and democracy- can we use those two words in the same phrase without irony?

I am going to miss Asia so much. I have developed my "hot spots" trip that I think I am going to have to repeat many times in the future. Here it is: Bangkok-Chiangmai-Luang Prabang-Hoi An-Bangkok

It's an easy loop that I could make if I only have time for a short vacation, and it has all the elements of my favorite type of vacation- shopping (including going to the tailor), eating really good food, relaxing and partaking of spa-type experiences, enjoying beautiful countryside strolls and such, and the beach. Bangkok is one of my shopping meccas. It is my favorite big city in the region and I love going to the MBK shopping center and to the Chatuchak weekend market. Chiangmai, of course, is a nostalgic visit for me since I used to live there- I have favorite restaurants and outings there. I love to rent a motorbike and go driving through the countryside, strolling through the night market, and to dinner at Riverside Restaurant. Luang Prabang is a peaceful oasis in Southeast Asia. It is perfect for early morning strolls, relaxing spa treatments, and chocolate croissants. Hoi An is my tailor and beach stop. Not to mention that Mango Rooms is one of the best restaurants I have ever been to. mmm. And then back to Bangkok to jet home! I could easily do that trip in a 10 day to 2 week space, though more time would be even better.... still, it is perfect!

The other 2 places I would add to a Southeast Asia itinerary if I had the time would be Singapore of course (to visit friends and such), and Bali (specifically, I really liked the town of Ubud). Those places are not very enroute with the above loop though, so might have to be a separate trip. Of course, there are lots of other great places to visit in SE Asia, some that I have been to and enjoy but just don't have that same magnetism for me as the above-listed places. And of course there are so many places I haven't even been yet.... I would especially like to explore more of Bali and other parts of Indonesia, as well as more of Vietnam.

The beach at Hoi An was surprisingly idyllic. I hadn't expected the beaches in Vietnam to rival those in Thailand, but I definitely think they do. This is nice because the beaches in Vietnam are far less developed than those in Thailand- for the time being. Hoi An had a gorgeous white sand beach that looked out over a wide blue ocean vista. Unlike Thailand, the beaches here are not bathwater-warm and protected by reefs. The water is cold (though not shockingly so) and small waves lap at the beach. We spent one afternoon lounging under sun umbrellas (the sun was scorchingly hot and burned the sand under our feet) and trying to put off the women who kept trying to sell us jewelery, fruit, tiger balm, and foot massages or manicures. Though I admit that I did buy some necklaces and, in fact, unintentionally incited a bit of a turf war because I bought from one girl and not another.

I am convinced that Hoi An is one of the best vacation spots in Southeast Asia. It has everything- a beautiful beach, fabulous restaurants (the food in Vietnam is soooo good), a very cute and historic city center (the town is a UNESCO World Heritage site), skilled tailors who can make you a whole new wardrobe in the space of just a few days, great shopping (crafts and art), and clean, affordable guest houses. Perfect.

Here's a pic of the beach and the river behind the beach:

My limited exposure to Vietnam this week revealed a country that is defined by simple elegance. It seemed that nearly everywhere I went, my head was turned by some small but elegant form or gesture- my bed carefully arranged each day with three flower buds resting gently on the smoothly pressed white linens; a farmer pouring rice from a basket overhead in a smooth and perfect stream of flowing grains; a young girl silhoueted in a pristine white ao dai (the national dress of a long slim-fitting dress over loose trousers) on her way to school; an old man, back perfectly straight as he pedals slowly through town on a rusty old bicycle. I was most struck by the innate elegance of this country when I was riding through the countryside on a motorbike one afternoon, and I couldn't take my gaze away from the woman perched on the back of the motorbike in front of me. She was covered from head to toe, and clearly a woman of modest means, yet to me she became the most elegant woman I had ever seen. Her posture was perfect, the scarf that fluttered from beneath her hat caught the breeze in just the right way, and the way in which she nonchalantly crooked her fingers through the bag hanging at her side reflected confidence and relaxation at the same time. She wore heels and hooked the heels over the foot rests so that her toes pointed skyward, creating an elegant angle between the knee and the foot.... such little details, but I was struck by how very uncontrived her elegance was, and that this has actually become quite a rarity in the world I seem to revolve in.

Just finished my last exam! Woohoo! Or maybe I should actually say my only exam...that does not make it quite as impressive, does it? Actually, there's not much excitement associated with this event because now it just means that the bar exam grows ever-nearer, as does the date when I ought to be finishing my thesis. Speaking of, I bought my plane tkt back to the U.S. - July 13! Arrrr, so soon.

And we celebrated tonight by one of our oft-repeated outings to Orchard Road. The sad truth is that my "exciting" night was going to California Pizza Kitchen, followed by a stroll down the road popping into Borders Bookstore and a couple of other shops. We thought about going to a movie, but nothing good was playing. And the truth is that this sort of evening is more common than just about anything else I do in Singapore. Most days are rather boring, to tell you the truth (which is partially why haven't written in the blog much lately).

I am, however, going to Vietnam for a few days. Leaving on Sunday. Heather and I are basically making a visit to Hoi An in order to have clothes made- I really need to get a bunch of work suits and such made, as it is such a better deal to do it out here.

The elections are coming...the big question here in Singa is not who will win, but whether the PAP will make a clean-sweep of all the seats this year. Seems rather implausible in a "democracy" doesn't it? The local news, which is controlled by the PAP of course, is consumed mostly with announcing the new PAP candidates these days. They've got a good cross-section of people, including business people, doctors, etc. And a plea has gone out in search of a good Malay candidate for one of the seats... you see, there is also a racial quota system of sorts for the elections because in some of the districts they have to run as part of a GRC (Group Representation Committee) instead of individually. GRCs must be composed of a certain number of minority candidates (this is also one of the reasons that it is so difficult for opposition parties to succeed in elections- they have to win an entire GRC, not just an individual candidate). The other interesting tidbit about Singapore elections is that the current government doesn't have to announce when exactly an election will be, until 7 days prior to the election... you just get a vague idea that it is coming when the campaigning begins.

Just got back from the Damien Rice concert- I LOVE his music! The concert was interesting though- he was definitely high on *something* and I get the impression that it was a thrown-together sort of thing where he was going to Singapore and decided that he might as well do a show while there. So it was just him- no band. And it wasn't really planned out at all. Which was cool in some ways because it was very low-key and in some ways like hanging out in his studio listening to him mess around instead of a formal concert. He took several requests and joked around trying to play songs that normally required a piano, etc. A lot of improv. And, actually, he totally forgot the words to several songs. For a minute I was like, "uh? ok?" but he played it off well and it just turned out really funny. Like when he played "I remember," which begins "I remember it well..." and then he just kept playing but not singing, and a couple of seconds later he had to laugh and comment on the irony of the song because he actually couldn't remember the second line. It was also a really small venue- only 600 people- which of course, was about as good as you can get for a concert. So it was fun and great to hear him live, though I would really like to hear him with the full band sometime in the future.

So that was the excitement of the week. Otherwise I have been cranking out Chapter 2 of my thesis. I decided tonight though that I am too bogged down in it right now and am going to take a couple days break to work on bar outlines instead, and then come back to the thesis- I've been at it everyday now for a week and it has just become too much! Sad that bar studying is my "break" from thesis writing however. Pitiful, really. Well, tomorrow I am going to a fashion show for Singapore Fashion Week and also out to dinner- don't know where quite yet.

I've taken some photos around Singapore lately, so I'm going to post some of them:

First, here are some photos of the Botanic Gardens. Last weekend I went for a really long walk with a friend around the gardens- they're actually walking distance from my apartment and a great place to escape from urban atmosphere of Singapore. That last one almost had me fooled that it might be fall here! No such luck....






These next two pics are both from outside the Asian Civilizations Museum. There's me in front of the Raffles Statue and a view of Boat Quay from across the river.





And lastly, here's my part of town. I live just down the street from this quaint little area known as "Holland Village"- yes, there is a windmill and it is peopled by many a Dutch person. It's kind of a trendy coffee shop and restaurant neighborhood, and gets A LOT busier at night. Oh, and that's my apartment building. Thrilling, I know.

Singapore just opened its new budget airline terminal. I am very interested to see the new terminal, but also wary that my much-beloved times at Changi Airport are about to come to an end. I bet I can't get my favorite sushi and lowfat gelato at the new terminal :-( Though the shopping is supposed to be comparable... but I just doubt it will be as comfy and homey as the other terminals! Hmm, I am sure this new budget terminal will be good for Singapore though- because I know KL has opened a budget terminal as well and is attempting to compete with Singapore. And Bangkok is also building a whole new airport! It's about time actually, because their airport is crap. Well, I am happy to see so many signals of development in the region.

The buildings at the university here are connected by long, long covered passageways. In fact, it's a bit crazy but you could probably walk from building to building without being uncovered for 20 minutes straight. Hmm, I should take some pictures at school- I only ever take pictures when we're out on the town! You have no idea what the "normal" life is here, really, do you? I guess that's because it's not all that interesting! And I tend to prefer to keep you entertained when reading this blog :-) Alas, there will be nothing entertaining to write for a bit. This weekend I am focusing on finishing another chapter of my thesis- it is my March goal and I have made Monday my official deadline. I might take a break sometime to wander out to the Botanic Gardens though. They are relatively near my house and it would make a lovely walk.

Be prepared for some crazy photos!! I went to the Indian Festival of Colors- "Holi"- today, and it was madness! Which corresponds with great fun of course. Holi is the Spring festival that is celebrated all over India (and in Singapore of course because of the large Indian population here). Holi welcomes in the coming bright colors of Spring and also seeks the blessings of the Gods for good harvests and fertile land. Holi is celebrated with many many colors- covering ourselves and others with those colours actually. At the entrance of the festival we were handed a bag of a brightly-coloured chalk like substance.... this became very important as the evening progressed! First we ran around a field with a ton of people throwing buckets full of dye at each other (the little kids had a fun time specially targeting Sabra and I- I think we looked especially ridiculous because the dye showed up so vibrantly on our pale skin). After we were fully doused in dye, wet to the core, and our clothes had turned from white to a muddy mixture of every color of the rainbow, we proceeded to smearing the chalk substance all over each other- hair, face, arms, etc. All these cute old ladies kept coming up to us and streaking our foreheads and cheeks with chalk, and random men would run up and dump chalk over our heads. And then small kids would run up to us and douse us with the liquid dye again, and it would start all over again with the chalk, and the dye, and the chalk, etc. It was totally fun! Of course, now my entire body is dyed blue and I can't seem to get the color out of my skin. It has soaked in so deep. I have a feeling I am going to be walking around looking like a smurf for the next week.... sheesh, I even got dye in my eyes and they started to turn purple! (no worries, no last effects).

Here I am before and after- what a disaster!





check out my hair:



During, with two friends- Martin and Sabra. Martin is especially unrecognizable! Ha ha.






And, just a reminder, here is Sabra and I "before"- well, almost. We'd already been "blessed" by a couple of the local grannies:



And here is Martin and I on the metro home- yes, we had to take the metro looking like this! People were doing double-takes left and right (but Singaporeans would never actually "say" something- i.e. "why the hell do you look so disgusting?"). And just one last reminder, all of our clothes were WHITE to begin with! And so was my skin... I am so blue now! (still, after scrubbing and scrubbing- and my hair is still streaked with bright colors! ahhhhh.)

Earlier this week I was having one of those days where I just felt a bit down and blah (very concise and descriptive term, I know), so I decided that what I needed to feel better was a long walk. Was I ever right!! I need to remember how much I love going for long walks and make sure to incorporate it into my lifestyle. It was HOT outside (as usual), but once I was outside the heat seemed so much better than the stifling oppression of my apartment. Not knowing where exactly I ought to go, I decided to head in the direction of Orchard Rd (town) and see how long it would take me to get there. It wasn't nearly as far as I thought- only 1 hour! And the walk was marvelous- the great thing about Singapore is that even though it is a big city, it is very green. I was walking along one of the major roads that traverses the island, yet all around me were trees and jungle and I could even hear the crickets and tree frogs chirping away in the trees. In a strange way, this particular road reminded me a lot of Portland- the drive between the tunnels into town and Beaverton. Of course, the vegetation here is much more tropical, but it has that same density. Maybe I will start going on walks more often and exploring different areas in Singapore. There's still a lot I haven't seen.

There is something inherently wrong about a dorky-looking Singaporean college student (button up collar shirt tucked into tight jeans, hair that is too long in a mullet-type way, and glasses) prancing into a computer lab and drawling, "Wassup Bro?!" and then proceeding to launch into an incomprehensible Singlish conversation. Ah, the ironies of living in a country that walks the fine line between the East and West.

It is getting HOT again. Well, not that it hasn't always been hot (and humid), but the rainy season did bring a slight decrease in temperatures. I have mixed feelings about the heat. It is nice when I am outside and I feel like I am in the middle of a gorgeous, sunny summer, but then it gets soooo tiring with it being hot all the time. And night is the worst. I wish I had an air conditioner!

This weekend is a big cram paper-writing weekend. I have a paper due for my Indonesian law class on Monday, which is good, because it will be incorporated into my thesis and having this deadline gives me the push I need at the moment to make some progress on my thesis. I am also very happy that I have found a couple of NPR stations through iTunes and now I can listen to NPR all day while I study- I soooo missed it!

My most recent observation on Singapore is that the government here is extremely talented at legislating how people should live while simultaneously appearing democratic and rather laid-back. It's a very paternalistic approach to things. And indeed, it makes me question many of my ideas of governance. Singapore is the strict law sort of society that everyone always thinks it is, but these laws also don't infringe upon everyday life all that much. Of course, then there are the little hassles that I don't have to deal with because I am a foreigner, but would annoy me so much if I was a local- like buying a house. You have to deal with racial quotas and all kinds of things when you want to buy a home here. On the other hand, the government also subsidizes homes here in order to make it possible for as many Singapore residents as possible to be home owners (it is believed that a person who is a home owner will feel more stake/loyalty in their country).

The government has announced that new elections are going to happen soon, and this means that there has been quite a bit of re-aligning of voting districts and announcements that the ruling PAP government is going to refurbish certain apartment blocks, etc- it's all a very elaborate plan to keep the PAP in power. And I have no doubt that the PAP will succeed. The political structure here is such that it is very difficult for opposition parties to get a foothold. Hence the reason there are normally only a token couple non-PAP members in parliament. The interesting aspect of this is that strong PAP dominance has allowed the government to be extremely efficient. Parliament passes bills with minimal debate, and can respond rapidly to almost any situation. On the whole, Singaporeans are proud of their government and the efficiency of its response to international and domestic concerns.

Had a belated bday dinner with Singapore friends last night. Some pics.

Arriving at Changi Airport in Singapore always makes me so happy. It is actually one of my favorite places in Singapore. Never thought I would say that about an airport. It's the only airport I have ever been to where I don't mind going early and I tend to linger longer than necessary upon arrival. It has a very homey feeling. Maybe that's what it is- the airport is far more inviting and comfortable than my own home, and with all these trips in and out of the country, is almost as familiar to me as my own home! I especially loved Changi during the holiday season because there was always lovely music softly floating through the air and Christmas decorations all around. Upon stepping into the airport I would think, "ahhhh, Christmas" whereas everywhere else in Singapore the holiday sentiment completely passed me by, as I cannot associate Christmas with tropical heat waves and palm trees. But airports- they practically shout, "come to me! It is time for some holiday travel!"

And Changi really is a fabulous airport. Like everything else in Singapore, it is pristine and orderly. The departure lounge is filled with soft and cushy chairs. There are good restaurants and shops, and the duty free shopping is the cheapest I have yet seen (we priced the alcohol today in Singapore and Bangkok to confirm this fact). There are little alcoves where you can settle onto a comfy couch and watch the news, the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, or movies. Free internet portals are all around. And at immigration the lines are short and they give out free candy. What can beat that?!

A day spent at Changi inevitably leads to a pleasant day. I know, this seems quite a paradox, but I swear it's true!

So the airport portion of my day was good. The actual airplane flight, however, was another matter. A couple of guys two rows in front of us decided that, as soon as we took off, they needed to eat something that absolutely wreaked of garlic. It was so pungent that at first I couldn't quite pinpoint the fumes that were floating in our direction, making us positively ill for a good portion of the trip. We asked the flight attendants to have them put the food away, and they did politely request such action be taken, as did we ourselves pointedly ask the men, but they kept pulling their food out and trying to sneakily eat it. As if the very fact of having the food unwrapped was not a dead giveaway for the fact that they were eating. Ugh, food that has such a strong odor should be banned from airplanes!

I hate to make stereotypes, but sometimes living overseas forces one to come to certain generalizations. Of course, there are many exceptions to the rule, but my experience has been that Chinese people (this flight was all Chinese), and to a certain degree Singaporean Chinese (though much less so), are some of the pushiest and least respectful people I have ever met. I was pondering this thought today as I was forced to confront this fact when the crowds of people on our flight shoved their way to the front of the check-in counter (trying to check in in groups of 20 rather than wait their turn) and then rushed onto the plane long before their seat number was called (a pet peeve of mine). Liz (who is Singapore Chinese and not like this at all) and I think that it is probably related to a communist mentality of push-your-way-forward-to-get-your-daily-rice-or-you-won't-get-any. The problem is that in most places it just seems rude and totally unnecessary. In fact, people are ALWAYS trying to cut in line out here. My friend Heather, who is quite bold about confronting people, is really good at turning the evil eye upon any cutter and forcing them to the back of the line.

Another thing that this made me think of today is the oft-invoked idea of "Asian values" (usually used as an explanation for why Asian society should be able to develop and govern in its own way, as apart from the West). Now, I definitely believe in a certain degree of cultural relativism and maybe that there are some small similarities between Asian cultures, but the longer I live out here the less I believe that this blanket concept of "Asian values" has any real weight behind it. There is no true uniformity amongst Asian cultures that can be used to define one set of Asian values. For instance, I see the Chinese and Japanese as being soooo different. Of course, both have the concept of saving face (indeed, this is very important in both societies), but the Japanese seem so much more refrained and respectful, while the Chinese are very aggressive and pushy in most things. Back the example of lines- the Chinese like to shove their way to the front, whereas the Japanese are uniform and meticulous about standing in line. All you have to do is go to a train station in Tokyo to see the difference! One factor that has often been classified as an "Asian value", that I now flatly disagree with, is that Asians are all more communal and believe in family values more than the West. First, I think that in Singapore at least, the society is anything but communal. In fact, it seems to me that most Singaporeans care little for their communities, but really only for themselves and their families. Singaporeans are very unlikely to be highly involved in their communities, nor do individuals or businesses donate to local needs. Family is important, but it seems that it is mostly in a monetary and material sense. I honestly don't think that Singaporean families are any closer than the average American, Canadian, or European family. Parents do financially support their children for longer, but this is primarily because it is a national standard to do so. And kids just don't move out of home until much older. But in Singapore you also always see really old people working. For example, in the food centers it is normal for those who bus the tables to be in their 70's and 80's. Now, this may be that the older Chinese people are hyper aware of not wanting to be a "burden" on their families, but it is also evidence to me that Asian families don't necessarily always take care of their older relatives in the way that is always portrayed to the West.

Well, these are just some thoughts that came from conversations during the last couple of days. Stereotypes broken and stereotypes formed. This is all part of living overseas- experiencing different ways of living, witnessing things that may seem very bizarre or rude or what have you, and figuring out a way to process it and fit it into one's own particular world view- or not.

And just to make this somewhat relevant to the last couple of days spent in Bangkok- here are a couple of pics. Liz, Heather, and I- though we didn't actually manage to get any pics of the three of us together.

Lots to update. I just returned last night from my spring break trip to Indonesia, have spent the day getting caught up with studies, laundry, cleaning, etc, and am headed out tomorrow afternoon to Bangkok for a couple of days.

So... Indonesia. A wonderful trip! The main thing I have taken away from my visit there was that Indonesians are very friendly and kind people. Some places that you travel in SE Asia can be extremely abrasive, leading to exhaustion and vows to avoid travel in future and all the hassles that go along with it (which, inevitably, I forget a few weeks later when another interesting trip looms near). However, my experience in Indonesia was very pleasant and I am already hoping to go back to Indonesia in the not too distant future!

I flew to Jakarta on Sunday morning with some of my classmates from Indonesian law. We were to meet our professor and other classmates on Monday morning for two days crammed full of visits to many Indonesian legal institutions. Sunday was a pretty uneventful day. We arrived and found our hotel on Jalan Jaksa- the tourist ghetto of Jakarta, if you can call it that. I don't actually think many tourists- or backpackers at least- travel to Jakarta so there is nothing remotely comparable to Bangkok's Khao San Road. I hold no love for Khao San Road, so nothing sad about that. Our first stop was to a restaurant across the street from our hotel to get some food. Not the best restaurant- in fact, we ate grilled gold fish (yes, as in the pet fish, though the larger version), and I do not recommend it. Very strong flavour. yick. In fact, we were actually wondering if they just fished it out of the tank right next to our table.... we next sadly failed in our efforts to visit a nearby flea market, as it was closed, and instead ended up at a nearby grocery store. The sight of all the delicious, fresh, and cheap fruit (it's so expensive in Singapore) was too much for us and we succumbed to a durian fruit and spent the evening munching on the (disgustingly) pungent fruit by the pool at our friend's hotel. For those of you who don't know what durian is, it is a famous fruit in SE Asia that wreaks of moldy socks or really old french cheese, but actually tastes pretty good. In fact, durian smells so bad that it is banned in many public places throughout the region. You can get a $500 fine for taking a durian on public transportation in Singapore! Ugh, I was on the train once when someone had a durian and it was soooo awful- the smell gets trapped in and there is no escape!

The next day we visited the University of Indonesia, the Indonesian parliament (well, their equivalent of a "parliament"), and a top Indonesian law firm.

Here I am at the parliament building with friends:



A group of law students from the university drove us and escorted us everywhere we went. These students were soooo incredibly hospitable- without them we would have been lost! Jakarta is a HUGE and chaotic city. Traffic is horrendous, but the layout of the city and lack of adequate public transport means that everyone drives. As a tourist, I think it would be quite a difficult city to get around. Basically, you would have to take taxis everywhere and sometimes the traffic jams would turn a 20 min drive into a 2 hour hell. The students then took us out for a local specialty dinner- called "padang". It consists of many tiny dishes that are spread over a table and meant to be eaten with rice. You choose what you want to eat, and then the restaurant charges according to what you ate at the end. There were a lot of chicken dishes, some veg, and an especially good beef dish. They even had chicken hearts and cow brains. I tried the hearts but not the brains. Here's a pic from dinner:



The next day included more visits around town, to the parliament again, the district court and the constitutional court, and an organization called "hukum online" which is trying to publish Indonesian laws online. This is a monumental task because many laws are not even published in Indonesia, and the government pursues a policy of decentralization, which means that the regional governments are primarily responsible for instituting regulations to implement and interpret the national laws. There are more than 30 regions in the country, some very far from the capital, Jakarta. So it is really hard to even get ahold of all these laws, let alone publish them online!

The next day most of the class parted ways, heading to various places around SE Asia for the duration of the break. I stuck around in Jakarta for the day because I wanted to visit the American Embassy and see if they had any good information that might be relevant to my thesis. I was able to meet briefly with the Regional Security Officer and got some good contacts whom I can email for additional information. So while I probably didn't need to stay around an entire extra day for a 30 min meeting, it still ended up being worthwhile. Luckily a couple of other students were hanging around as well. So we all met up for lunch, and then as it started pouring rain, we went to the movies.

Flew to Bali that evening. We took a taxi to an inland town called Ubud, where we spent the first couple of days. Ubud was a great town- very artsy and cute. Full of galleries, shops, great restaurants and spas. I was very happy to spend my birthday there! Basically, I pampered myself on my birthday with an indulgent visit to a spa and a great dinner at a restaurant recommended by a friend (Casa Luna- soooo good. I wish I could find a restaurant like that in Singapore!). That night we met up with some other exchange students from NUS who were also staying in Ubud, and they insisted that I drink lots and lots of Arak (the local alcohol) and then join them for a late night swim at their hotel pool. It turned out to be a very memorable birthday!

After Ubud, we all travelled to small town on the east coast called Candidasa. Here is a picture that typifies the relaxing beach paradise that was my time in Candidasa (tough life):



And here is the lagoon next to our hotel in Candidasa:



We were really lucky to get to attend a local Hindu festival. The whole town turned out for the festivities and all of the young men and women in town participated, dressing in beautifully elaborate costumes and bringing gifts to the Hindu temple.