singaporisms

greetings from sweatiness central -- abe, i chose this particularly flattering photograph especially for you!! normally i'd have a sufficient sense of self preservation not to put a pic like this up but i am currently in the aftermath of the depicted glory... yes, i engaged in a 'singaporism' = late night jogging outside-- as you can see this is not for the faint of heart... you step outside and immediately you are covered in sweat....although i have to say it was a lot easier than i expected! (go figure)Jenn is arriving here for her weekend of fun in s'g and instead of doing school work (sigh) i thought i'd share with you some cultural 'highlights'......
1. 'la': much like 'eh', 'la' can be added to the end of just about anything... essentially it means, right? for example, Q: can i break a 50? A: ok-la
2. if people walked any slower here they wouldnt be moving - perhaps evolution and oppressive heat has just gotten the better of everyone
3. moving out of the bus occurs in both directions (yes, imagine how much longer this takes) moving onto the subway does not require one to wait for other people to get off-- its way more fun if you just plow into them...
4. ladies first? not likely when it comes to lines or seats (but they have free booze on wednesday - sandra i'll have to tell you those stories sometime later ;) )
5. anything you want, someone will agree to give you -- but they never mean they are agreeing...real life example: Tanya: i dont want soup, i want noodles vendor: ok-la result: tanya gets a take-away soup (repeat this in every situation- lesson learnt: make sure you specifically point out what you want!)
6. if you want something done simply or efficiently - forget it.. there is one way, it must be done that way
7. although the city is approximately 45 minutes to drive across and many times smaller than the niagara region (thanks, vlad) no cab driver has any clue where they are going --- EVER.... my dad thinks this is a ploy to make more money...i am more convinced they are genuinely clueless
8. if you have a boyfriend (or girlfriend) you must be touching them at all times during your life... you must lean on them on the shuttle bus, you must sit on them in the study rooms, makeout at the bus stops or in a swimming lane of the pool.... example, if your man goes on the treadmill, you should stand next to it to keep him company (for the record i almost got of mine due to the revulsion i felt at this true life scene)
9. if you are on the subway you must fall asleep - preferably with your mouth open (what is most impressive is that people magically wake up at their stops!)

ok, so thats an odd number but these are the ones i can think of right now!!! maybe it will help you to imagine life here!