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I'm writing this in the United Club at Newark Airport, having completed the first (and by far the shortest!) leg of my trip. I'm on my way to a new life in Singapore.

Wow.

OK, maybe not a "new" life, since my life has been one of constantly moving to new places. But when I look at where I was a year ago, and where I am today, things are a lot different, thats for sure. And when compared to two years ago, well, I don't even recognize my life.

But opportunities arose in Singapore, both personally and professionally, and my teaching at Georgetown wasn't quite as much fun as I thought it would be, so I decided to jump on this chance. The job sounds like exactly what I'd like to be doing on my own someday, so this is a great chance to do it while someone else is paying the bills and get some good experience. And as for the personal side, well, there's a guy named Ben whom I met three years ago, and we've long wondered what could happen if we lived in the same city, so we're about to find out. So I'm going to jump on THAT opportunity as well. :-)

My sadness in leaving DC is countered by the excitement of trying something really new. One reason i chose Singapore for my Fulbright a few years ago was that it gave me the chance to "test drive" a city where I might want to live someday. Looks like it's all working out as planned, even though i didn't know what the plan was all along.

Here we go!!!!

Labels: Life, Living in SG, Relationships, Work

His name is Ben.

Ben lives in Singapore, and we met briefly two years ago when I lived there for a few months. He's a friend of Linh's, who was the one who suggested we should meet, and unfortunately I saw him for a grand total of about 15 seconds on that first meeting. We didn't see each other again before I returned to the US, but we stayed in touch via e-mail.

Six months later I visited Singapore and Ben and I had a couple opportunities to spend some time together. He's a great conversationalist, an overall charmer, and deliciously cute. I had a great time with him and we stayed in closer touch after I left.

Fast forward to March 2010: I am in Bangkok for massage school and want to take a weekend in Phuket, which I've never visited before. I ask Ben if he'd like to fly up and join me, and he does. We have a great weekend being pampered at the resort, playing on the beach, buying street food in town, and learning about Glee (well, I was learning from Ben, who's a huge Gleek). It was a very fun weekend and I'm happy we did it.

Over New Year's this year I visited Singapore for a couple weeks, and Ben and I spent about half that time together. We talked a lot about opportunities and possibilities, and we came to realize that the growing feelings we had for each other are mutual. Those conversations increased in their openness after I returned to DC, and we realized that we would really like to know what might be possible if we to start dating...but of course, we live on opposite sides of the world.

So anyway, that's why I'm now applying for jobs in Singapore.

Labels: Living in SG, Relationships, Travel

It's that time again...time to reflect back on the year behind us and see what it meant to me.

I'm ending this year in a very different place than last year, at least geographically: back in DC. My return from Singapore in March was bittersweet; I came back to people who are important to me but left behind a life that I enjoyed. I had a fantastic time teaching and my time there ended on a high note. While I was there I really enjoyed the way I lived my life, it was a very social place with people doing stuff together every night. I resolved to live that way after coming home and to a large extent I've succeeded, though I can do a better job of balancing that! I miss Singapore, which is the main reason I headed back that way in September and would love to go back there again. At the time, living there permanently was a possibility, but with some changes in my career plans that option is on hold for now.

Those career changes have been interesting so far, and I'm curious to see what happens in 2010. Though I was planning on retiring from my current career and shifting gears to try something brand new, I was unexpectedly selected for promotion, and that has changed everything. Though I considered turning down the promotion -- after all, I'd already made the mental adjustments I needed to be ready to retire -- I realized there might be some interesting things I could do with this increased rank. As it turns out I've been interviewing for a teaching position here in town, and I think I have a good shot at it. If for some reason that doesn't work out then I'll have some decisions to make...there's a good chance I'll end up turning down the promotion if the assignment doesn't work out like I want. But it's still nice to be selected, because for someone like me who's done a lot of unusual things and who hasn't followed anything like a normal career path, getting promoted was a big surprise indeed.

Career-wise, by the way, my current job hasn't changed at all. It still sucks, and has all year. The saving grace has been that it's given me the chance to do different things outside my regular job because what I do day-to-day isn't very demanding.

Academically, I didn't do much after returning from Singapore. I didn't publish any papers this year, though I did finish a study that I think the State Department is using in crafting their Asia policy, and I presented a paper at a conference, so those are good things. I've still kept up with my writing, not only with my professional blog (which went over 200 entries this year) but also by writing a monthly column for a business newspaper here. Fun!

As is always the case in my life, the most important thing this year has been time with friends. I made some great new friends in Singapore...meeting Joshua at the end of 2008 turned out to be a great thing as our friendship took off and turned into something wonderful. At first I was happy to know him because I thought it was cool that a straight guy in Singapore was so open-minded, but I later I was happy just because he's a great guy. Immediately after the New Year I met Ed, who turned out to be one of my best friends there and to whom I still feel very close (in fact, we talked just this morning). A traveler like me, he managed to arrange his autumn vacation so we could spend about a week together in Singapore when I went back that way in September. It was during that trip that I finally got to know Ben in Singapore, a friend of Linh's whom I'd tried to get to know when I lived there but it just never worked out. In terms of meeting new people here at home, I'd have to say meeting Kevin was the highlight of my year. A doctor from Singapore here on a 2-year fellowship, he was on our dragon boat team and we ended up becoming good friends...during the summer it wasn't uncommon to see him, Stan, Linh and I running around town. I'm sorry he'll be leaving for home soon, but happy to know him. There are a few other folks I've met here whom I'd like to know better, but so far that's been moving slowly...people seem a little too busy to be making new friends, I guess.

Stan and I enjoyed the year together, up to and including his return to DC over Christmas. We had a wonderful relationship as boyfriends which has gone through some changes with his move to Denver and grad school, but that hasn't stopped him from being one of the most important people in my life. I'm very proud of him...he knew what he wanted, he overcame early frustrations to get it, and he's made the shift from full-time worker to full-time student with more ease than I think he realizes. I treasure what we had this year and I treasure what we still have...despite the change in his life, some things won't change.

Linh is my other close friend who went through a big transition this year, as he finished his graduate work and entered the "real" world (fortunately, staying in DC). We knew each other within about 6 weeks of his starting grad school so I got to see that entire process and was really pleased with the growth I saw in him, academically and personally, over those 2 years. I had a feeling that once he left school and had a more normal life we'd have a chance for our already great friendship to grow, and indeed it has. This is one of those friendships that I think will endure no matter what happens in the future.

Since Stan's departure in August I've pretty much avoided dating. I realized that since August 2000 I've either been in a relationship or living with my ex in a weird sort of limbo (Adrian, by the way, moved into his own place in July, leaving me in sole possession of the condo). Having spent all that time with people I decided I needed to make sure I'm OK on my own, that I haven't fallen into that trap of needing to be in a relationship. It's been a bit rocky at times but I'm getting a better handle on who I am as an individual, which had gotten a bit fuzzy at times over the years. Frankly, at this point, I'm waiting to see if someone asks ME out, rather than the other way around.

It's been a year for travel, as every year is for me. While living in Singapore I visited Bangkok and Hong Kong, and stopped in Tokyo for a few days on the way home, my first time there. Stan and I visited San Francisco, New York, and Denver, in addition to our 3-day road trip when we moved him out there. Kevin and I got to go to New York for the US Open, and I also made a later visit there on my own. I also got in a quick trip to Chicago for an academic conference, and that was good, even though it was COLD!! (and I finally got to meet David C on that trip!) In September I managed a 3-week trip back to KL to see my friends there (hi William, David, Azhan, Eddie, Janvier, DanielHenry, Froggy, and all the boys and girls) (and hi Nase, who I finally met!), to Singapore for the same reason, to Hong Kong for exactly the same reason (and to see the Big Buddha and finally go up Victoria Peak), and to Bintan Island for a couple days on the beach with Ed and one more ASEAN stamp in my passport. After going with Stan to Denver in August I headed to Vancouver to check out that city and also see my uncle in Victoria. Good times, eh.

Fitness-wise things only got better this year. I continued to improve my race times, missing my goal of breaking 80 minutes in the 10-miler but still running faster (and missing my goal by mere seconds) while shaving 14 minutes off my previous best marathon time. I ran the Hong Kong Marathon in February (my third) and set a personal record in that, with Tony and Max meeting me at the Finish with cupcakes and a Cathay Pacific flight crew who thought it was the greatest thing that I'd flown in just for the race. The next month Stan and I ran an 8K race in DC, the first race he's ever run, and I was so proud of him for doing that. I later ran two 10-milers and capped off the year with the Marine Corps Marathon, where I absolutely ripped up my old record and set a new standard of performance for myself. Much of my success has been due, I think, to a big improvement in my overall fitness. I've kept up with my gym routines from Singapore and have seen continuing improvement in my body, so much so that I was excited to be photographed for a friend's swimsuit calendar with Linh (and yes, we look hot!). Still not where I want it to be, but definitely getting there.

My health is still good, knock on wood. After 2008's cancer scare I had to have a follow-up colonoscopy this summer, and it came back OK. In Canada I had a sudden kidney stone attack, something that's never happened to me before and it scared me because I didn't know what it was, but after a few hours in the emergency room and some good meds over the next two days, I was fine. A couple of friends and family members have had tragic health problems this year, and those have reinforced my desire to live life as fully as I can now, for you never know when this precious gift can be taken from you.

As I reflect on the year gone by, I don't see much that's new. I had some great times, some great experiences, but mostly they came from the continuation of things I was already doing, or maybe some improvements...nothing really new. I can't think of too many new challenges that I took on, not much new that I studied and learned. That's unusual for me, and I'm not really sure why that happened. Did I just need a rest from change at the end of the decade? Do I have so many great things in my life that I didn't feel the need to add a lot of new stuff? I'm not sure. I guess it's OK, since part of the reason for not doing some new things I expected was the dramatic shift in career plans this year, but if I had to put my finger on what 2009 meant to me, it's kind of elusive. Next year, I have some new things lined up, and some emerging interests I want to explore...we'll see where those go!

When I look back at last year's end of the year post, I realize there are a couple things i said I hoped to do in 2009 that I didn't accomplish. First, I wanted to get back to Hawaii this year, but that didn't happen. I was planning to go in December to run the Honolulu Marathon and then stay for a vacation, but I realized a few things. First, I knew that I needed to save my legs rather than running a race only 7 weeks after the Marine Corps Marathon (a lesson I learned last year). Plus, I should save my money and my vacation days...one reason for not going was because of the big trip to Asia in September and I should be saving up after that for some travel coming early next year. And finally, I wasn't really in the mood to travel alone on this one...Linh had mentioned in July the possibility of going out there with me, but like me he had some big travel later in the year that didn't allow for a Hawaiian vacation in December. So, that one's on hold. I also didn't go to Thailand for massage school or kickboxing camp, mostly because I couldn't fit it into the September trip. But I'm planning to be back there in March and have already registered with the massage school (after seeing kickboxing in Bangkok last January I realized I probably don't need to go to kickboxing camp!). The other thing I wanted to do but don't feel I did was work on strengthening some friendships here, but I think I'll save that discussion for another time.

And yes, I'm looking forward to the future as well...to things I have planned for next year, to things I would like to do in the next year, and to things I still need to do at some point in my life. But I'll cover those next time.

For now, I'll just wish everyone a Happy New Year!!!!!

Labels: Friends, Health, Life, Living in SG, Running, Teaching, Travel

If I've timed this right, and if United Airlines is running on time, then this should be posting as my plane is pulling away from the gate. I'm off to Tokyo today, then home to DC on Tuesday. This experience in Singapore has been far greater than I imagined, and while I'll certainly be introspective and retrospective later, for now I'll just say thanks to everyone who made these 4 months so wonderful.

Labels: Life, Living in SG

So far, I've been pretty good. No "This is my last Tuesday in Singapore!" or "This is my last trip between Tanjong Pagar and Tiong Bahru!!" or that sort of thing. I've pretty much kept it together while meeting up with folks to say goodbye, though I'm sure I'll be a blubbering idiot at the airport tomorrow (sorry in advance to Ed, who's graciously agreed to take me there at 5am, and Joshua, who will meet us there). As DanielHenry pointed out, it's not like I'm never coming back.

But I did just get back from my last gym workout, and Monday was my last training session, though Mattew did sit down with me today for about an hour to go over the program he's had me working for the last 4 months. In the process of those 4 months (or at least, since Dec 15, when I first did a body scan at the gym) I've gone from 138 pounds to 146 pounds. In the meantime, my fat mass dropped while my muscle mass increased by 8 pounds. So basically, all that increase was muscle. My body fat percentage, meanwhile, dropped from 10.4% to 9.4% during those 2 1/2 months (which did include a marathon, of course).

This is nice, because while I was worrying last year about losing weight, I always said it wasn't the numbers I was concerned about, it was what they represented. When there was too much fat I wanted the weight to go down but with the addition of this muscle I'm more than happy for the numbers to go up. My improved fitness was evident during the Hong Kong marathon and I definitely feel better every day.

There is a strong sense of personal satisfaction coming out of my gym experience. And not only because I was getting cruised more as time went by. :P

Labels: Health, Living in SG, Running

As DanielHenry pointed out to me on Facebook, it's not like I won't be back. But when it comes to living in Singapore, this is in fact my last weekend.

I gave my final exam last Monday and it went OK. I only got my research paper grades turned in that day so I decided not to grade exams but instead take the afternoon off from grading and resolve some other administrative things. Grading kicked off Tuesday and lasted until Thursday evening, so it did go faster than the research papers but not by much.

As Friday rolled around I went into school for my final day there. That morning I wrapped up the last of my paperwork for grades, turned in my keys, took some final photos, and headed out around 1pm. My experience at the university was really a great one, and the feedback I got from students (except for the one who was crying about her grade) made me feel really good. It's not often in life that you KNOW you made a difference, but this is one of those times.

I'd already had one farewell dinner earlier in the week, but heading into my last weekend I had a few more final meetups planned. First, though, I needed to have dinner with one of my students...I wouldn't normally spend my last Friday in town at a dinner like that but he's a diplomat here and I figured it was good for keeping up good relations between our countries. Plus, he was one of my more interesting and challenging students and I thought we'd have some good conversation, and I was right. I figured I'd head out for a drink afterwards but I drifted into a nap onto my couch after getting home and woke at 1am. I took that as a sign and went to bed.

Saturday was a gym day, followed by lunch and a movie with Derek. I said it last week and will say it again: I'm really happy to have finally gotten to know Derek in person after following his life for years online. We expect to see each other when I visit here again later this year.

Afterwards I met up with Ed, who took me to the Night Safari. After 3 times in Singapore I still hadn't been so he wanted to make sure I experienced it. Unfortunately it was raining, so the shows were cancelled, but we got to take the tram ride and see plenty of animal who were out enjoying the rain, and once the rain died down a bit we also walked some trails, and did not get eaten. We headed back to town, dozing in the back of a taxi, and grabbed some nasi lemak before heading to DYMK for a bit to meet some friends. I called it a night about 1.

Today I met up with Jasen for breakfast around 10:30 and we got caught up on what's been happening since we saw each other 2 weeks ago, and had a chance to say our farewells. A second friend cancelled out on me so I got some work done before meeting gary the Bubble Tea Guy, who's been running the stand at school that I visit everyday. This was the first time we hung out away from the university and it was pretty fun, even though the sudden rain made things a bit messy.

Tonight I'm out to dinner with my trainer from the gym, then am hoping to go clubbing later (though if the rain doesn't stop I don't know how excited I'll be about going out again). Starting tomorrow I need to be settling things around town, visiting with more friends, and doing anything I have been meaning to do but haven't done yet.

I'm also learning that Chinese people don't like long goodbyes, and I'm OK with that.

Labels: Bars, Friends, Living in SG, Teaching

Had a nice weekend after my final day of classes, even though I still had a few research papers to grade (I am convinced that grading final exams next week will go MUCH faster). Friday night I met up with my friend Ed for dinner and then we later headed out to a pub with some of his friends. I like being around Ed and his friends...when they are together there's a lot of laughter within the group and from anyone who happens to pass by and get caught up in the conversation. Also, they don't all start speaking in Chinese around me, and I appreciate that. In terms of pubs, they spend more time at a place called DYMK than at Tantric or the other pubs, which tend to be louder and more crowded. DYMK is a nice little place, a bit more mellow, and I like it.

Saturday was gym day, though it was shortened a bit because I tried to grade a couple papers first. Afterwards I met up with Derek and his friend James for lunch and off we went to the food court, which is a very different (and much more yummy) experience here than back home. We went to see Slumdog Millionaire, which is really good, if a bit shocking and unnerving at times. Well acted, great production style, but it made me a little uncomfortable at times. I guess good filmmaking should do that.

Derek had to head into work afterwards so I had a coffee with James and a couple of his friends, then wandered home myself to knock out some more papers before going dancing, so I could enjoy my time out more. As it turned out I still didn't get all of them done...it takes longer than you'd think to grade papers like this, and I try not to let one student's paper influence my opinion of the next, so there I need to take a few minutes in between...everyone gets judged on their own merits.

(I should point out that I really, really like Derek, and am SO HAPPY we finally met after reading each other's blogs for years. I always found it strange that I met his best friends a year before I met him, but I'm glad we finally met and are getting to spend some time together.)

But I did make it out and got to Play a little after midnight. I had a good time there for a couple hours, heading home around 2:30. James was there but I didn't see him until late because his phone battery had died, which is almost unheard of here (or so I've been told). By the time I saw him he was pretty drunk and I'm not sure he even realized I was there. heh heh There were some cuties on the dance floor, and one non-cutie who kept trying to get me to come off the dance floor and hang out with him, but he was drunk and I was having a good time dancing and he hurt my finger and so I finally managed to get rid of him.

Had plans for lunch today but they fell through so I finished grading and did some reading for school, and tonight am off to a foam party. I probably won't be providing too many details about that.

Final exam is Monday. Hope my students are studying.

Labels: Bars, Friends, Living in SG, Teaching

I may have figured out why I'm so sad about leaving. It isn't just leaving behind a good job and great people and a cute trainer at the gym and good food and all the other nice stuff about my life here. It's more the fact that I've finally gotten really settled here, and now I have to leave. I know that back in November I felt like a real Singaporean because I had a bank and a commute and a library card and my favorite stalls at the hawker centers. But for so long it was all about new experiences and not having any patterns, more about trying new things than enjoying them, or meeting new people rather than getting to know them. And I traveled a bit in December, and Stan visited, and it really wasn't until late January that I think I really felt at home. In fact, there was a point in Saigon where I felt like I was ready to go home, to go back to my comfort zone there, but it's possible that was just because Saigon was so different and I was traveling there on my own.

But now I REALLY feel integrated into the community. I stop by a couple shops along the street on my way home from work and chat with the owners. I usually meet up with Ed and his friends on Wednesdays and once over the weekend. I'm getting to see Derek on a few Saturdays. I try to see Joshua during the week. Weekends are free for spontaneity, especially when Jasen gets to come back from military training. I've realized I can't see everyone all the time so I've found the folks I'm most comfortable with, maybe have the most in common with, and try to see them the most. Still see other folks, just not as often. Still meeting new friends (hi, Kian!) but basically, I have a regular life now, and I like it, and now that I finally have settled into something a little more relaxed and feel like I know what I'm doing and I'm really happy...it's time to go.

Of course there are good people back home (hello Stan! hi Adrian! hey ET!) so I'm happy to be going back for that reason. There are some events coming up, like Stan and I racing in an 8K run the weekend I get back and visiting San Francisco in the spring, and me going to Chicago for a conference, and Adrian taking me out for a birthday dinner. And I'll get settled back into some good routines at home soon...it won't take me as long to adjust as it took here.

But man, I'm gonna miss living in Singapore. At least now I (think I) know why.

Labels: Living in SG

OK, so, I'm over yesterday's sudden attack of sadness. It hit me when I got back from my haircut. I wondered if maybe it was because I didn't have anything planned with anyone the rest of the day (which is pretty unusual, frankly) and I had a fear of "wasting a day" when I could be spending it with friends. That's silly, of course. I mean, I'm with friends pretty much every evening of the week and had spent 14 hours with some wonderful friends (thank you Jasen, Derek and Luke!!) on Saturday, so any concern about not being with people was ridiculous. (and for the record, I got a call later and ended up going dancing last night until 2am with a friend, so yeah, the universe corrected itself)

But that's not what it was, I realized...

Try as I might not to count, the reality is I have only 17 days left in Singapore. And I just don't feel ready to go home.

Part of it is the cool job I have. I love teaching, and since I'm working for the government back home I know I'm going to miss the classroom once I leave.

Part of it is the sense of freedom I have here. Being away from my regular job, being in a city where I don't know that many people (I mean, relative to the whole population -- I certainly have managed to meet plenty of people) allows me to explore and experience new things, and that's been nice.

A big part of it, of course, is the people I've met here. So many nice folks, and a few really, really good friends have come from this experience. I hate the idea of leaving them behind.

And part of it...well, part of it is that this has been an adventure. It's the sort of thing I've wanted to do for many years, and after I applied for the exchange program I was tense for months while waiting for the results, and then had to spend a few months dealing with the bureaucracy at work (to get my leave of absence of approved) and of course, with some medical issues that came about because of the physical exam I got for this trip. There was a huge buildup to this, and frankly, it's a pretty prestigious exchange program, so it's been a big deal (I haven't mentioned the name of the exchange program because I don't want to show up in Google searches for it -- I learned that lesson with the whole "leopard bestiality" thing, and also with Thai porn -- but the first syllable is the opposite of "empty" and the second syllable is the opposite of "dim" and rhymes with "light").

Anyway, what I have to remember is, adventures come to an end. That's why we call them "adventures" instead of "normal life." I knew all along this was a limited time experience so the approaching departure date is no surprise.

But it does make me sad when i think of it.

Despite the fact that one of my KL friends reminds me consistently that I'm NOT Singaporean, the fact is that I do fit in rather well here, certainly now that I've gotten accustomed to the place and the newness has worn off. A number of my friends here have commented that I seem to be a natural fit for the city, and one even said that I seem more Asian than Western (I get the feeling he was talking about more than just chopstick skills).

You might ask "why not just move there if you like it so much?," and the thought has occurred to me, since I was planning a massive career change later this year anyway. But those plans are on hold right now (and THAT is a story for a much later day, but it's for good reasons, not bad -- a promotion is in the air, it seems).

It's not like I don't have any reason to go back to DC. There are some very special people there, one in particular (and I know you're reading this, Stan!), but at the same time, my return to that city in 2006 has been something of a disappointment (maybe the reason I keep going away for long periods?) and while there are a few really good reasons to be there, there are also lots of good things here I'm going to miss.

You want to know something strange? While I'm over here in Asia and sharing my experiences on this blog, most of the people reading it are here in Asia -- very few folks among my DC friends care enough to read this. This means something.

Being here for 4 months allowed me to get into a comfort zone, one which looks different from what I had back home and which, in some ways, is more exciting. The time spent with friends, the travel, the adapting to different ways of doing things, the teaching, and let's face it, the cute guys all around me...all this makes it tough to leave. It was easier to break away from my DC comfort zone (even though there were a few tears during some goodbyes) because I was starting out on something cool. There's nothing new back home, though, so I feel like I'm leaving something behind.

Perhaps the answer, then, is to liven things up once I get back to DC...

Labels: Friends, Life, Living in SG, Thai Porn, Wandering Mind

So I'm a day late on the birthday entry. Too bad. I was busy celebrating.

Being far from home on your birthday can suck, as I found in Iraq 4 years ago. This time, however, no one was shooting at me, and the food was better. Plus, even though I had a couple good friends in Baghdad, I am very lucky to have met quite a few really wonderful people here.

The birthday wishes started on Monday, when one of my students dropped by with a card and a gift from home (I'm on Facebook and am linked to some of my students, that's how they knew, I didn't announce it in the syllabus!). A number of them sent notes through Facebook as well. Tuesday night , my actual b-day,I was invited out by my friend Joshua, and we were joined by the always-very-charming Derek, to make it a great night (Derek is the first of my gay friends other than Stan that Joshua has met, and I will say again how pleased I am to have become friends with that very open-minded straight man). It was great that derek was there but he wasn't able to go out to a local bar with Joshua and I (they have live music every night and it's Joshua's favorite), so I'll be seeing derek and some of his friends Saturday. Joshua and i had a very nice time out, though we cut it short about 11;30 so we could catch the trains home.

Wednesday after work i met up with my friend Ed and he took me to dinner at a German place he'd discovered that day. We'd made dinner plans the day before, but he had no way to know it was my birthday, so I let him know in advance, figuring it would come up in conversation and he'd be annoyed if he found out while at dinner instead of earlier. Anyway, he brought a very cute card. Ed is someone I met only recently, after he was flirting with Stan, and he's turning into a very nice friend to have.

Later this week I get to see Alan, then Allan (don't get confused!), and then next tuesday KK and I are going out, and that should about do it for the birthday, a week after the fact. :-)

Various visitors celebrated with me in advance. Stan brought me the perfect gift (the first season of "Big Bang Theory," and I agreed to wait until my actual birthday before watching it) and also sent flowers that arrived on my birthday. Azhan visited last week and brought me a teddy bear. Linh passed through town a couple days after Stan left (I don't think I blogged about that yet) and brought me a couple very cute gifts from Bangkok. Adrian sent some beautiful flowers that arrived a few days before my birthday and have made the place smell nice for a week.

The folks back home sent lots of birthday wishes, courtesy of Facebook (how did we ever remember birthdays before that?) and it felt really good to be remembered. I miss my friends there and even though I will be sorry when I leave Singapore, it will be good to see them again.

For the last couple years birthday's have been a tad stressful for me but this one was nice and festive. I haven't had a birthday party in about 8 years so all the going out this week adds up to a pretty good party in my book. I appreciate the good wishes from everyone and hope I can make them feel as good on their special day as they made me feel on mine.

Labels: Age, Friends, Life, Living in SG

Aaaaaaaaannnnddd it only took 12 days.

What can I say? It's been a busy 12 days.

I'll try to catch up a bit.

OK, well, Stan's trip here was a good one (from my perspective, anyway, and from his too I think). We returned from Penang on December 30th and had a couple mild adventures around town that evening. Wednesday the 31st was our day to catch up on any place he wanted to go but hadn't visited yet, but unfortunately the design Museum was closed. However, we made it to the Urban Redevelopment Authority for their exhibit on the master plan for Singapore, because we are both geeks who are intrigued by city planning. While we realize that no plan ever works out exactly as written, we were just impressed that Singapore actually HAS a plan for the next 50 years, which I don't think most US cities have. The exhibit was very impressive, though we both got the sense that it was a little overly optimistic, with lots of pictures of how beautiful things are going to be, a sense of urban beauty that I haven't yet seen here. I hope they stick to it closely, this is already a pretty nice place and it would be cool if it improved even more.

Anyway, with our nerd genes satisfied, we went to the Asian Civilizations Museum, and we wished we had more time there because the 2 1/2 - 3 hours we spent there weren't enough. Very interesting, and I'll be back again. We saw flyers for a New Year's Eve party there that night hosted by a radio station, so we made plans to return after a nice dinner in Little India (Stan is a big fan). At the Little India restaurant we decided that the whole "don't tip because service charge is included" thing might not always be the best idea, as we waited 30 minutes, and asked 3 times, for our bill, and we're pretty sure someone whose income depended on the quality of their service might have made a little more effort. But we made it to the New Year's festivities, saw some very impressive fireworks, and started the year off right.

On the 1st we met up with my friend Jasen for lunch, which was very nice as I wanted him and Stan to meet. We headed to a dim sum place down the street and somehow got in past a HUGE line of people (still not sure how that worked). Stan handled himself well with the mandarin that he knows (he's primarily a Cantonese speaker) and we had a great time. We had some more wandering around to do during the day, had dinner and a nice night (including drinking from IV bags at The Clinic, yay!), and then Friday morning it was time for him to take a very long trip home.

Lots has happened since the year started that involves meeting new friends and seeing old ones who were passing through and having a weekend visitor and going to the Singapore premiere of Milk but I'm tired and it's time for bed.

Labels: Friends, Living in SG, Relationships, Travel

Like many people I like to take time at the end of the year to look forward to what comes next, even though I shy away from making resolutions and instead try to make plans But also like most people I like to reflect on the year gone by, focusing on the good stuff but remembering, too, the bad.

The area of relationships includes both good and bad aspects. On the downside, I realized near the beginning of the year that, despite a year of resolving to work on our problems and trying to come back together, Adrian and I just couldn't seem to work things out. There's no need to get into details here, it just seemed we both had different ideas about what it would take to restart our relationship. Sadly, we had been moving in different directions, though fortunately we have been able to remain friends (a good thing, seeing as we still live together in the condo we co-own). He has been dating someone since this summer and I'm happy for him.

On the upside, however, things took a nice turn with Stan. We met at a Halloween party in 2007 and had been getting to know each other over time. In February, when he changed jobs and got a more normal schedule, we had more time to hang out and over a few months seemed to develop into "best friends." That development continued and by the time July came around we added "dating" to our description, and the word "boyfriends" entered our vocabulary this fall. So yes, I have a very nice boyfriend, and I'm very happy about that.

That has made my current work situation a little bittersweet. One of the most unique aspects of this year has been my (temporary) return to teaching. I learned at the end of April that I'd been selected for a prestigious academic exchange program. As a result I now live in Singapore, from November 2008 to March 2009, teaching a graduate school course at a major university here. It's fun, as I love teaching and I've always been interested in living in Asia, so this is great and I'm having a blast. It sucks to leave a boyfriend behind for 4 months, but fortunately he saved up his vacation time and we used a frequent flyer ticket to bring him over for 12 days, so YAY for us having an Asian adventure!!

I'm enjoying my time in Singapore and really feel like I'm fitting into the local landscape. I have some nice friends here and am very happy about that. There are still other people I want to meet, people I've known online for a long time, but I'm having trouble organizing my time well. Since I'm about halfway through my time here, I need to do better with that. I'm going to the gym regularly here and have a trainer and am feeling much better about my body, in terms of both health and appearance.

My time in Singapore has created some opportunties for travel. A couple weeks ago I was in Saigon for the first time and I just returned from a trip to Penang with Stan, my first time there as well. I'm hoping to get to Thailand for a weekend and will also be spending a weekend in Hong Kong in February, followed by four days in Tokyo on my way home in March.

There has been a LOT of travel this year. I worked in a couple trips to New York, both on my own and with Stan, and one of those was a quick hop up to see a play with just an overnight stay (I almost went without staying overnight but realized I needed at least one night in the city). I got reintroduced to Don't Tell Mama and The Web and visited a few other nice restaurants and bars, and much fun was had each time.

Short, domestic trips for work included a weekend in Atlanta and a weekend in Portland, my first time there. I got to see one of my old students, who has turned into a much more mature and interesting young man than he was when I first knew him in Colorado (and he was pretty mature and interesting even then!). Later I spent a few days in San Francisco for an academic conference where I got to see an old friend from SF and also see my friends Carol and Giacomo, who were teaching there at the time. I didn't make it to Hawaii for work this year, which is unusual, but I'm determined to make it there next year, for vacation if nothing else. This was also my first year at Gay Disney in Orlando at the end of May, which was a pretty fun weekend with friends. Not sure if I'll do it again, and if I do it may be a bit different, but it was a fun weekend for sure.

The big trip this year was to Southeast Asia, where I spent 3 weeks for work in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore, with a couple days' stop up in Hong Kong on the way home. In Bangkok I saw Bom for the first time in a couple years, and also had an adventure with Linh from DC, who was there on an internship. In KL I got to spend time with my blogger friends and finally met DanielHenry and got the chance to know David better, and also got to spend some good times with Eddie (and introduce him to the bloggers!) and William, Alex, and Jason as well. The trip was long, and I was ready to get home when it was over. Other than New York and Rehoboth Beach, that was pretty much it for travel until heading to Singapore in November.

One reason I neeeded to get home was the running. I was training for a big race and needed to get into my routine by early July, and once I did I worked my ass off. After some friends ran the Marine Corps Marathon in 2007 they convinced me I should give it a try in 2008, so I committed myself to doing that. I only started running in January (before that, 30 minutes on the elliptical machine was my aerobic workout). By March I ran my first race, a five-miler, and in April I ran the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler, a big race in DC. But I managed to injure my knee and couldn't run for a few weeks, and then my Asia trip came up, so I didn't really start marathon training until July. I was running 3 times per week and mostly designed my own training schedule, with encouragement from Ethan and Vu. I got myself ready for the Army 10-Miler in early October and knocked more than 8 minutes off my previous 10-mile time. 3 weeks later came the Marathon, and I kicked its ass. I was thrilled that I ran the whole way, never slowing down to a walk, and I finished in what I thought was a pretty decent time for a first-timer. It was an amazing feeling to do that, especially going from not running at all to running a marathon in only 10 months. To the surprise of everyone, not the least of whom me, six weeks later I ran the Singapore Marathon, and while my time was slower, I still finished ahead of 79% of the runners, so not too bad. I'm kinda proud of myself for setting this goal and achieving it. Physical fitness has never been my strength (pun intended) so I'm very happy this all went so well.

My other physical activity was dragon boating, which I totally got into. After rowing with AQUA in the DC festival back in May I have given some thought to joining DC's dragonboat team but I'm not sure I can make the time committment right now. I've enjoyed watching dragonboating in Singapore (for all the obvious reasons) and would like to hook up with a team here, just to learn some things from them, but I'm kinda out of time in my daily schedule, so we'll see how that works out.

Thanks to all that physical activity I felt comfortable doing some modeling this year. I got to be a part of Vu's calender (last year it was al Asian men, this year it was pairs of folks) and that was fun. I also did two sessions for a professional who was looking for models, one by myself and one with a second person. That was a lot of fun, I got to exlore some interesting ideas and also learned to feel comfortable in front of a camera -- I'm not the most photogenic person in the world, so that was a nice experience.

This has been a good year for friends. In addition to gettig to know Stan better early in the year I also found my friendship with Ethan strengthening, and that has been nice. Linh and I also bonded a bit, and we may have the Spice Girls to thank for that. I formally joined AQUA in January, as one of the "token white guys," heh heh heh. Along the way I've gotten to know a couple new folks and have seen my friendships with others develop over the year. There have been some fun parties, some trips, but to be honest I'm still trying to find the solid ground underneath my relationships in DC. The situation with Adrian and I has, I think, made other relationships a bit unstable, simply because our lives have been so uncertain. Overseas, I finally got the chance to meet Azhan, whom I've known online for a couple years, as well as Derek in Singapore whom I've also known online for a long time, and I've added Jasen, Alan, Joshua, and KK to the "good friends" list as well.

I've barely mentioned "work" in any of this, and that's because work in DC is just not an important part of my life right now. I do it, and I do it well, but it bores me. My bosses have no idea what to do with me and cannot figure out how to use my skills, so my days at the office seem filled with tasks that really don't matter. That's partly why I applied for the exchange program, and that's partly why I did a research project for another agency (that's who sent me on the 3-week Asia trip this summer). I wish they wanted to use me, but they don't, so I look for other opportunties to be useful and to develop my own skills, and I spend a lot of time planning my exit from this career next year.

My concerns about wasting time in this job became very important this summer when I had a health scare. During a physical exam the doctor told me that I had symptoms of colon cancer. A long three weeks later I finally had a colonoscopy and the results were negative for cancer. That's good, and it also reminded me that things can happen and life can end suddenly, so it's best to get the most out of it now rather than waiting for a day that may never come. I emerged from that experience content with my life, realizing that while there are many things I still WANT to do, I think I have done most if not all of the things I HAVE to do in my life. It's comforting to feel I have not wasted my time on this earth.

One new "work" experience this year has been a professional blog I started. I'm not sure what sparked my interest but I began writing a blog that, if done right, can later be turned into a book and developed into a university course. It was a bit "stop and go" as I started it this spring but by the summer knew I hadn't done it quite right. I stoped, retooled it over a couple months,then restarted it in the fall. It doesn't have a lot of readers but it does give me a chance to express myself, so we'll see where it goes.

It has been an amazing year, full of changes good and bad. I look forward to 2009. What will happen then? Well, there will be a major career change late in the year, and once that happens I'll be a bit more open about some things on this website. I'm going to continue running, and in additon to the races I ran this year (except the Singapore Marathon, I think) I'm planning a couple additional ones. I'm also going to continue the gym routines and the nutrition plans I've been working on in Singapore, so I can finally feel healthy and good about my body. Stan is leaving DC for grad school at the end of the summer, and that will create a hole in my life. I'm going to work harder on my DC friendships, and perhaps cut back on the travel a bit so I can focus more on home. Having said that, I still plan a trip to Vancouver, and at least one trip to San Francisco, and there's a good chance I'll have an extended stay back in Thailand, perhaps for 3 weeks in September to go to massage school and kickboxing camp. Hey, why not? My business blog has been picked up as a column for a newspaper so I'll be writing that this year, and I look forward to doing more with the blog itself.

All in all, a very good year. 2008 reminded me that I'm one of the luckiest people on Earth, with good friends, lots of opportunities for adventures, and interesting career possibilities that are pretty much within my own control rather than someone else's. My goal when moving to DC in 2006 was to use this time to set myself up for all the fascinating things that are set to occur for me in 2009. Despite the ups and downs along the way and the interesting (and usually good) changes to my plans, I think I've succeeded in that. 2008 was good, and I'm ready for 2009.

Bring it on.

Labels: Friends, Health, Living in SG, Relationships, Running, Teaching, Travel, Web, Work

Stan arrived Sunday night, and hooray for that. Having done the 27-hour trip myself only 7 weeks earlier I know the poor boy is tired and a bit disoriented, but he has adapted well to the time and climate changes, certainly better than I did. We've spent the time since then taking in some of the sights and sounds of Singapore at Christmas time. It's been raining today but has stopped now, though we'll have a cloudy Christmas I think. Yesterday we ate lunch at Mos Burger, his favorite place from when he lived in Taiwan a couple years ago, and today we ate at Carl's Jr, a place he enjoyed at home in North Carolina but which we don't seem to have in DC. Strange to have to come 10,000 miles o find it, but that's just the nature of the American fast food industry.

As we've wandered about town I've noticed something: Stan's getting checked out a lot. When I go around town by myself I don't notice a lot of second looks but Stan is getting them constantly, whether in a gay bar, at the gym, on the subway, or wherever. Perhaps, then, the reason for a lack of interest in me isn't that I'm a hideous troll, but instead is that the guys here are "sticky rice" rather than "potato queens." Good for them, I guess, because I've always felt sorry for guys who live in Asian countries and are mostly attracted to white guys, because there just aren't that many. If you're attracted to the dominant ethnicity you've got a lot more options.

Of course, it could have nothing to do with Stan's ethnicity, it could just be that he's a hundred times cuter than I. But I don't want to dwell on that possibility.

Tonight we are going to a mega-church Christmas spectacular with my straight friend Joshua and his friends, then we are celebrating the countdown to Christmas Day. Apparently, in Singapore, Christmas Eve is kind of like New Year's Eve. Interesting. Any excuse to party, I guess.

Labels: Flirting, Living in SG, Relationships

Grrrrrr, I'm feeling a little sick this Sunday. I woke up this morning with a sore throat, and I don't need that right now. It's a shame, I don't have to work tomorrow so was going to take this opportunity to go out to a Sunday night club but finally decided I needed to just chill out at home.

So I just spent a lazy day today, going for coffee, doing a little Christmas shopping and going to a movie ("The Day the Earth Stood Still" -- yay Keanu Reeves!). Yesterday was pretty lazy too, though I got to meet my friend Joshua for coffee. He's my straight friend, and it's nice to have one of those here. :-) Earlier this week I saw Luke for the first time in a few weeks, had dinner and a movie with KK, and also got to celebrate Alan's birthday with him. So it was a week filled with nice guys.

I finally checked out a dance club here and yay for that, because I've found the place I want to spend my Saturday nights. If you're looking for me after midnight you'll find me at Play. I haven't been dancing in FAR too long, so last night felt good, at least until around 3am. Then it was time to go. I found the dance floor crowd moves in a cycle and after you enter the mass you get pushed through the same route and out the other end. After the third time, it's probably time to go.

Here's a question: is it weird to see a guest actor on "Heroes," google him, see in his IMDB profile that he went to the same university as you, then look him up on Facebook, find someone who seems to be him, and e-mail him and ask if he was on "Heroes" last week? Yeah, that's not weird at all, I shouldn't worry about it. Anyway, it was him, and he complimented me on my attention to detail. We determined we had different majors at UVA, and he was there a few years after me.

I'm taking a trip for a few days later this week. More on that to follow.

Labels: Bars, Living in SG, Movies

So yes, I did run the Singapore Marathon Sunday. Finished it, too.

My time was 4:55:17, almost 19 minutes slower than the Marine Corps Marathon. However, given all that's happened in the 6 weeks since my last marathon -- moving to a new country, starting a new job, trying to find a place to run -- I'm just happy that I finished. Hey, I'm just happy that I started! I still came in 2,659 out of 12,393, so 79th percentile. Not too shabby. The heat was a real issue, but perhaps it didn't give the locals THAT much of an advantage, even though they're used to it.

The race started at 5:30am, which gave us about an hour and a half before the sun came up. There were no clocks along the way so I had no idea what my pace was. The course was flat and the streets were usually wide enough, so overall a good course. We started out running east and I was able to put the sun to my back soon after it rose, so that helped. The drink stations every mile were pretty helpful as well. I started feeling like I was overhydrating and was feeling a little heavy in my stomach, so I started watering only every other station. I think that might have been a bad idea, and perhaps the problem was not overhydrating, but overheating. Lesson learned about marathoning in the tropics.

Oddly enough, I ran faster in the second ten kilometers than in the first ten (and yes, they measure in kilometers here, so I ran 42.195km). Never ran at my MCM pace, though. Of course, I ran the first 18 miles of MCM with Ethan and this one was on my own. I really dropped off in the final 8 kilometers, actually had to walk for about 1 - 1.5km (run, walk, run...). Lower back was bothering me big time, and I think the heat was starting to get to me (tingling hands, mild stomach cramps...not good). Once I hit the 42km sign I ran it in for a nice finish but my back was hurting so much after crossing the line that I made my way over to a barrier and leaned against it. 3 lady medical volunteers came out of nowhere and had me sit down, straighten my legs (but offered no water, go figure), and I think they were all set to do something to my legs until I said the problem was my lower back and they all stepped away...not gonna touch that, I guess. I made it into the finish area, turned in my timing chip and got my finisher's shirt and medal, then wandered around looking for something to drink. Ended up sitting down at a volunteer table with tingling, dizziness, slightly swollen tongue making it difficult to speak (not that that stopped me from talking!!). Waited there about 20 minutes with some water until the blue spots in front of my eyes went away, then it was all good. Beware the heat in Singapore...it is not for the weak.

Weirdest thing was: no crowd. I mean, NO ONE. You know how one big advantage of the race over training is the energy you draw from the spectators? There was none of that here, except the final .195km. Probably had something to do with the early start, but even later, nothing. There were a couple secondary school drum corps, a few cheerleaders, and some family members/friends, but even some of the volunteers working along the route were napping. Nothing like the 100,000 people or so out there watching the MCM. That made it tougher for me, I think, because I know what a crowd can do for you and was kind of expecting it.

After the race, when I was waiting for the blue spots to go away, I got to talking to a lady next to me who is 53 and just ran her first half-marathon. Yay her! Anyway, her son is in New York and is thinking of coming home to study at the school where I'm teaching. Also, he's currently doing a job I think I might find interesting. So, we traded e-mail addresses and we're going to exchange helpful hints. Small world.

And yes, in case you're wondering...I have decided I enjoy running marathons in Asian countries. I'll leave it to the reader to figure out why. :P

Labels: Living in SG, Running

According to a machine at the gym I have 8% body fat. I doubt the accuracy of that, but still, I want to buy that machine and take it home with me.

I haven't quite gotten the hang of the whole "change in and out of the underwear underneath the towel" thing, but I'm getting there. How come everyone can't just go free and open like we do in the States? (or I'm I being ethnocentric again?)

My trainer seems to feel I'm doing well. I'm not so sure, but I did notice some things were easier tonight.

My trainer also got me started on a protein supplement, while my friend Jasen is getting me started with a multivitamin. I'm going to explode with healthiness.

Just in case people weren't sure, yes, I am running the Singapore Marathon this Sunday.

On an unrelated note, for all you KL boys, someone happened across my blog my googling "midvalley kl gay toilet." It disturbs me they were searching for that, but it disturbs me more that they found my blog that way.

Labels: Living in SG

I've been going to the gym now for 3 weeks and am really enjoying it. I got lucky and found a very good trainer who is patient with me as I learn how to use the equipment and who is working with me to identify my weaknesses so we can focus on those. I admit, he pushes me harder than I push myself, or maybe I just don't want to look weak in front of him...I know I work harder in our training sessions than I do in my visits there on my own.

We have run through different routines each time, focusing on abs, chest, arms, and shoulders/back. On my own I've been doing legs. I'm not trying to be a huge muscle boy, simply increase my strength and have a little definition (that's not too much to ask, is it?). This is the first time I've ever worked with a trainer and it's money well spent, since I will leave here more knowledgeable, and more confident, in my ability to work out, so I'll be likely to continue when I get home.

He's also getting me started on supplements, as is my friend Jasen. I will be biologically in tune with the universe, or something.

A couple folks here have said "oh, you picked an inconvenient place," "there are others that are nicer,' "you shouldn't spend so much money"...you know, besides the fact they haven't asked what my goals are or what's important to me, I'm also curious why these folks feel compelled to offer advice even when the situation isn't going to change (I have my membership, the sessions are paid for).

I'm still running as well. It's not as convenient as it is at home but I've come to realize that I'm a little spoiled with my running situation back home.

Labels: Health, Living in SG, Running

Hmmm, how did THAT happen?

Well, the last week has been a busy one, though I've taken some time (not much, but some) to chill this weekend.

Sunday was a day to catch up on some things around town, then meet Alan (not to be confused with Allan) to see Bpdy of Lies (not a bad picture) and try out the pizza place across the street from my apartment (yummy seafood pizza!). Alan's a friend of friends that I met a couple weeks ago and a nice guy who can carry on an intelligent conversation and is fun to hang out with.

Monday night I was off to the gym and then got to welcome DanielHenry and Froggy, along with Ben and Nicholas (whom I hadn't met before but am now glad I did!) to Singapore. It was nice to welcome them to MY city for a change (even though, as DanielHenry points out, I still have a US passport and only live here temporarily). They were in town for Kylie's concert Tuesday so we met up at a cute little bar called Clinic where the seats are wheelchairs and hospital beds and you can get drinks served in IV bottles and blood bags. Tourists stopped to take photos with us.

Tuesday night I went running at school then got back and met up with a fellow from online for a couple drinks, a Singaporean who has lived in US for 14 years and is back for his twice-a-year family visit. He was trying to find out about gay life here so I told him we could meet and I'd pass along my wisdom. I love the fact that I can provide info to a native. Also, he'll be in DC next week so I gave him all the gay bar info he was looking for.

Wednesday night I got home from work and my friend KK came over. he was headed to Cambodia the next day and since I'm thinking of going to Siam Reap next month we went over his travel plans so I could get an idea of where to go and how to get around. He gets back today so I'm hoping for a debriefing before I have to finalize my plans.

Thursday I was at the gym again, then headed out for Thanksgiving. Allan had arranged dinner with me and 4 other expats (one American, one Canadian, and two Brits) at the local Hyatt, which was offering a traditional (and somewhat high-class) dinner. A nice time was had filled with good food, though I'm pretty sure that since I had one drink and others were splitting bottles of wine, I ended up subsidizing them when we split the bill evenly.

Friday night I relaxed for a bit...got back from work, fixed a little dinner here, downloaded a couple TV shows from iTunes. I've found that I can't access Hulu.com or Fox.com outside the US, so if anyone has suggestions about how to find Heroes, Family Guy, American Dad, and Simpsons without buying from iTunes, please let me know. I later wandered out for a drink but made it a short night...one drink, one hour, and I was headed home (it's nice living only 5 minutes from the bar).

Saturday I ran errands during the day then went to the World AIDS Day Concert with Alan. There were half a dozen local groups, including a singer named Stephanie Sun who's not well known in the US but who people around here definitely know. The concert was actually sponsored by the government, which sounds cool (can you imagine the US government sponsoring a concert to educate people about HIV/AIDS and discourage discrimination about afflicted people?), but I talked to the producer later and he said the government folks actually had problems with things like mentioning the word "condom" (that finally got back in) or saying anything about gay people (that never made it into the script). Craziness.

Oh, and yeah...work's going great. I started with 13 students, but ended up with 24 for the term. Either I'm popular, or something else got cancelled.

As you can see, I'm keeping busy. Next week will be a little slower. Not much, but a little.

And I'm really, really, really going to try to post more than once a week. :P

Labels: Bars, Friends, Living in SG, Running

After a good night's sleep (for a change) and quick trip to the gym I headed down to the Singapore River to see the River Regatta, an annual dragonboat race. Having some affection for the sport I decided to wander down and see how it was going. The fact that NewUrbanMale has a dragonboating team (and their schedule for today was posted on the Facebook page) had nothing to do with it, of course!!

Singapore Dragonboating

I spent a nice couple of hours there. The weather was good (though a bad storm seemed to be coming just as I left, and they weren't done for the day yet) and the crowd was very festive. There were a lot more teams than we see in the DC Dragonboat Festival, though that's to be expected...every school, every big company (and plenty of small ones), every expat group, EVERYONE seems to have a dragonboat team here. I was pleased to see that most of them didn't seem to be all that much better than the AQUA team, but of course, things look very different when you're watching from the side rather than sitting in the boat.

I'd love to get involved with NUM's dragonboaters but my guess is there aren't any too many other competitions between now and the time I leave, plus they probably don't have any need for an American, short-time resident, with little experience. But at least I can watch!!

Labels: Living in SG

Last weekend was fun, and this one will be good, too. Last Friday my friend Clev took me to see Quantum of Solace, which was a great little action film, and I'm glad I read the plot synopsis from Casino Royale on Wikipedia before going because this movie picks up ten minutes after the last one left off, and I would have hated to be confused (the Chinese subtitles were distracting enough, and would have been even more distracting if I actually read Chinese). Fun flick, and good times were had.

I'd gotten a text that some friends were going to be at a nearby bar so I decided to join them but needed to take a rest first. I met up with my friend Jonathan and through him met his friend Alan, a very nice guy who works at a school here. The bar closed around 3 so we all walked over to my place (it's nice living 5 minutes away), picking up some food on the way, and just hung out for a bit. I got to bed around 5, which kind of messed up my gym plans for Saturday, but I had fun so it was worth it.

Saturday afternoon I met up with Jimmie, whom I've known online for quite some time but never met. We met at Starbucks (the source of all evil, according to Stan, but they have red bean buns here so it's OK) in the same shopping center where Mos Burger is located (which reminded me I have to take Stan there when he visits next month). We hung out and talked for a bit, then went to the Botanical Garden, which I have never visited before. I appreciated Jimmie showing me around and I think he'll show me parts of Singapore I haven't seen on other trips. He also has a business over in Bintan, an Indonesian island about 45 minutes away by ferry, and is going to take me over there some weekend to show me around.

That evening, after some chatting with friends and a power nap (sorely needed after little sleep the night before!) I wandered back over to the bar to see Jonathan and Alan and whoever else might show up. My plan was to go dancing at a club across the street but I was way too wiped out, and also wanted to get up at a decent time Sunday, so I just had a drink and hung out about an hour. I was tired, I needed sleep, so there.

Sunday I actually woke earlier than expected so I got some laundry done and headed out for coffee. Noon came and it was time for me to move downstairs into the apartment where I'm staying the rest of my time here. Jasen (another online friend I hadn't met yet) came over and helped me move bags, then we wandered out to lunch. He's a very fun guy, lots of fun to talk to and very knowledgeable about things like nutrition and psychology and fitness and such, so there's lots I can learn from him. He also has a boyfriend who sounds fun and whom I look forward to meeting.

Sunday was a night for more sleeping…still pretty wiped from the weekend plus the jet lag hadn't disappeared. I think it's all gone now. Hope so, anyway.

So I'm keeping busy here, mostly with meeting people that I've wanted to meet for a long time and getting to know them better, and some new folks as well. I'm hoping to maybe bring some of them together, not as a matchmaker, but just to enlarge their circle of friends if they're so inclined. They're such nice guys, it's a shame the don't know each other.

And now I'm off. Jasen and I are going to dinner and Ikea. Because that's what you do.

Labels: Friends, Living in SG