Category Archives: Personal

Singapore

Okay, I guess I’m not ecstatic about being back in Singapore, but I’m not miserable about it either. There’s something here in this part of the world that makes a lot of sense to me. It’s the second day since I’ve been back, and at least the weather is milder than it was when I left at the end of August &#151 about 86° F/30° C, with periodic showers in the middle of the day. Just as humid as ever, too.

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Amsterdam

After some delay, the circumstances around which I may explain to the general public one day but for now I’ll just conveniently skip over, I finally left New York last night (Wed 03 Jan). I’m in Amsterdam right now, one of the nicest airports I’ve ever traveled through. I should get back to Singapore by midnight on Thu evening.

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It Don’t Cost Nothing

Tomorrow morning at 07a, Continental Flight 145 takes me to Los Angeles, and a week later I’m off to Singapore. So it’s my last day in New York City. I’ve put a Herculean effort into avoiding another overly sentimental goodbye, but in the end, I’m only human, you know?

As a parting gesture, here’s my semi-secret tip for making metropolitan life a little bit more bearable: With each and every encounter with sales help (deli cashiers, sales clerks, cart vendors, anyone and everyone), I made it a rule to smile when I said “Thank you.” Regardless of how miserable or inattentive or outright rude they might have been to me, I would always, always smile. I know this sounds absurdly Pollyannaish, but it makes a difference. Give it a try, it’s free. 🙂

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Anywhere I Go, Here I Am

Leaving New York a second time isn’t going to be much easier than leaving it the first time. I think I understood this, at least subconsciously, before I left Singapore; it was part of my reluctance to come back. I knew once I grew re-accustomed to the particulars of living in this city again, I’d renew an attachment to it that I’d begun to suppress at the end of July. Now it’s two and a half weeks since I’ve returned, and I’ve spent that time working among my old colleagues and hanging out with my old friends. Generally, I’ve been having a blast in all of my old haunts while, in the back of my mind, also dreading another impending departure.

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River Place: It’s a Place Near a River

My condominium complex is called River Place, so named for its proximity to the Singapore River. If the word “river” brings to mind the coursing magnificence of the Hudson or the Potomac, you may need to readjust your expectations. This river is more like a canal; it’s a narrow, brown waterway that seems in no hurry to go flow anywhere. Nearly motionless, no river breeze blows off its banks. In fact, there are no river banks to speak of. Urban development has built up right to its edge, so you could be forgiven for not even realizing the river was there.

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