Today we’re at the ICA, Singapore’s immigration office. A nice time for blogging, since it so crazy.

The amount of people, floors, queues, counters and waiting rooms is immense. People in. Singapore queue so much, they abbreviate it to ‘Q’. At the moment of writing I’m having a hard time concentrating, because of all the buzzers that let people know the Q is advancing. I’m anxiously looking for the number 3651 to pop up. Can you imagine? It’s like Monty Python man, I half expect us staying here till X-mas, being sent from one counter to another, acquiring forms, stamps, documents and instructions. Isn’t this also described in Dante’s Inferno?

But not only the sheer amount of forementioned elements of burocracy is worrying. Hoi-Ying just explained me she got a queue number last time, which she needs now to pick up the thing she came here for. Which actually is a document stating that she studied here for 6 months. She was supposed to use her uni ID, but she got pickpocketed and lost it. But now we thus have two numbers. One of our current queue and one of last time she was here. I can not even imagine the consequences we we will suffer if we lose either one of both. I’m scared though.

Anyways, when we’re done in this hellhole of airconditioning, reminder sound notifications, people, counters, security, waiting, and again those fucking chimes (I GET IT ALREADY! NO. 4575 SHOULD GO TO COUNTER 412…), we’re going to check out some electonics at Funan shopping mall. And I also hope to buy a new messenger bag and belt. I definetely need something to match my flipflops (flipflops in the club!).

And I’m feeling real urban, blogging while walking down a busy MRT (metro, short forMass Rapid Transit) station.

So… I’m at the hotel right now. We’ve taken a day of relaxation, so I decided this would be a nice moment to try and get my impressions on digital paper. So I’m going to try and use my journalistic and photograpy skills to verbalize all of the last few days.

Let’s first start with what I’ve been doing today. Even blind monkeys with no hands are able to write down what they’ve been doing.

The first day in Singapore was a real test of endurance. Hoi-Ying took me to so many places, that both her and I were hurting all over and decided we needed to take it slow. Today we did just that. After a good night’s rest we decided to go to a shopping mall, somewhere in Singapore. I came to Singapore in sweaters and jackets and large skateboard shoes… all too warm. So today was the time to buy some flipflops, which I haven’t worn since ages. I bought some real nice ones, which I think I’ll be wearing some more. But that’s about all we’ve done. We went back to the hostel to read some (I still need to hand in one assignment for my social psychology course). And we ate some at a food court down the block. Some real nice rice, veggies and chicken. The stuff we eat is pretty incredible and real cheap.

Anyways, that’s just one day. I’ve been here for a couple of days now and it’s all so weird. I know western countries and I suppose I know Vietnam, which leads to knowing eastern countries a little bit. But Singapore is so different from both of them and travelling around with a Chinese girl really forces you to try and understand some of this country. I never know what language people are speaking. Sometimes it’s English which just sounds like Chinese, it’s proper English, sometimes it’s Chinese, sometimes it’s Indian (I suppose…) and here in the hostel it’s mainly German. This all leads to some confusing stuff and also leads to me just wandering around mindlessly and just looking helpless. Which works quite okay. I don’t think I’ve offended anyone yet.

Which is actually quite hard not to do. Today Hoi-Ying was wearing a tank top, which really led to some frowny faces in the metro and around the hostel. Our hostel is in Little India and we need to walk past a couple of temples in order to get to the metro. I think confronting these religious people with our western values might be a bit too much. And that’s exactly what is so remarkable about Singapore. It’s such a mix of eastern beliefs and values on the one hand, and things that remind you of western countries on the other hand. For example: holding hands is about as far as Hoi-Ying and me go in public, we try to avoid kissing. People like to play music from their phones as loud as possible. For commercials they use as much American hiphop as possible. We saw a crew of lowrider bikers that were inspired just a little bit too much by Korn.

Well whatever, it’s still too hard to get it all on paper. I’ll just have to think about it some more, but I can’t be arsed to do just that now. I’ll just enjoy my beer here in our hostel and keep Hoi company some more.

We’re waiting at the metro station, because it’s raining.

We’ve spent some time just walking around Singapore. Sim Lim Square, where we checked out the eee pc, which I’m going to buy. We checked out Bugis Junction, where I’m definetely going back to do some shopping. And we walked at the marina and checked out that lion thingy. It was nice.

But all in all, S’pore is hot, busy, noisy and rainy. It might be due to my jetlag, but this day was exhausting. And it’s only 6 pm. Ah well, of to the hostel, then a foodcourt and then something else Hoi is taking me.

just woke up after my first night of sleep in singapore. Yesterday was way too bizarre. We went to checkin at or hostel, which is prettx nice. Then we had a small but good dinner at a nearby food court, already my favourite aspect of this country/city. It’s just a bunch of food stands, where you can only get great foos for practically free. I think my chance of dieing in this country because of a ruptured stomach is quite high.

And yeah, we’re clearly in a commonwealth country. All the shopping malls (never knew i could look forward to shopping this much) are playing xmas music. Nice, but tiring. Ah well, just finished my pho, and now I’ll enjoy my sugarcane juice.

About an hour into flight and I’m sitting next to a Computer Science PhD student from Eindhoven. I think i might be going deaf tho, or maybe he just talks real quiet. I’m trying to watch the Bourne ultimatum, but it is not that good. But oh man! I was really surprised by the quality of the food. I had chicken with some pasta and grilled eggplant, but the best was the chocolate cake for dessert. Crumbly base and cherry sauce, it was great.

It’s pitchblack outside alreay, altho it’s only 7 o clock dutch time. Flying fucks up your rhythm, I’m glad I started this trip with none to begin with.

Urgh. What a horrible place is Dubai! Massive yet crouded with masses of trolley suitcases. What’s up with that? I can hardly imagine using one as main luggage, but in here people treat it like carry on luggage. My superfresh SB’ now have skidmarks on them. But at least I’m not American. Yanks would have a hard time with all these terrorists around.

Anyways, Ilm transferring here. From midnight till 3. Which feels way too weird, because it’s only 9 o’clock in holland. Emerates Air employees greet me with ‘good morning’ in an attempt to confuse me.