Singapore's cost of living ranks 8th in the world. Rankings are from the perspective of a skilled expatriate. The most significant reason for this is that the US dollar has weakened significantly against the Singapore dollar (local currency's strength vs. the US dollar being one of two factors of these ranking calculations), so that does make sense.
And according to this outdated article, San Francisco ranks 5th among US cities but barely makes it onto the worldwide top 100 chart, preceded by Chicago, White Plains, LA, and New York. Boston is a close 9th.
And I have the fortune of living in these presumably expensive cities? Great. Haha!
14 July, 2011
*1045 - hong kong, the old and the new
Hong Kong never fails to startle me in that it's a lightly tossed salad of ancient buildings and spanking new skyscrapers, against an unexpected backdrop of mountains and sea.
It was like a little Cornell Hotelie reunion, Asian style: Me, Inshi, Nick, Katie, Alison. Everything was strangely normal (I know I say this a lot) even though the last time some of us had seen each other must have been ... 3? 4? years ago? I've missed them all!! It was lovely to catch up again, and that was the main benefit I got out of the trip. That, and the hot bath that I took one night while nursing a glass of wine--what an indulgence--that lasted so long and so quietly that Inshi had to call into the bathroom nervously after some time, "Evelyn? Are you ok??"
I love how Hong Kong is almost en route from the US to Singapore. Perfect. Many more little trips to come, I hope!
Well, a few pictures before these get stale ...
Mango snow ice (I preferred the green tea with red beans) ... does it not look luscious?? Perfect when you're hot and sticky and exhausted from jetlag + shopping in Mongkok.
You tiao v1
You tiao v2 (I'm not even sure what these are called, but they're legendary and pretty awesome when wrapped in the cheong fun skin)
Century egg porridge for breakfast, mm. Remember the fear factor episode where everyone was barfing over the century eggs? Heehee. This always holds true: the grossest-looking little roadside stalls have the best congee.
Fresh cooked beef tongue, anyone? Amazing Japanese restaurant by Victoria harbour that served food tapas style ... am I very swaku for never having been to a Japanese restaurant like that?? We got a table-ful of amazing food, including DIY beef tongue, DIY potato salad, and DIY scrambled egg katsu. Heehee fun.
View from the hotel room and I. Hello, Hong Kong.
Fiew from outside the hotel. Hello, Hong Kong.
Heritage walk in an old Chinese village. 60% fabulously interesting, 40% didn't-we-just-see-a-temple-that-looks-exactly-the-same-as-this-one-oh-lordy-save-me-I'm-so-sweaty-I-need-an-icecream-now.
The light show at Victoria harbour, which was hilarious in its extreme underwhelming-ness. For real. We were screeching with laughter/disbelief the whole way through. It made a pretty picture, though! Skyline by night.
And by day. This was my second time on the peak. Love the tram ride up, which was so steep that even my brain couldn't figure it out and all the buildings looked like they were about to tip over.
There was much to do in 2.5 days. It went something like this chronologically: coffee, dim sum, street market, desserts, shopping, coffee and toast, zzz as the others partied, congee, coffee, heritage walk, snacktime, naptime, harbour, Japanese food, wine, SYTYCD, zzz, peak, dimsum, almost missed my flight, but made it HOME to a waving Mummy & Daddy at the airport! What a welcome sight :)
It was like a little Cornell Hotelie reunion, Asian style: Me, Inshi, Nick, Katie, Alison. Everything was strangely normal (I know I say this a lot) even though the last time some of us had seen each other must have been ... 3? 4? years ago? I've missed them all!! It was lovely to catch up again, and that was the main benefit I got out of the trip. That, and the hot bath that I took one night while nursing a glass of wine--what an indulgence--that lasted so long and so quietly that Inshi had to call into the bathroom nervously after some time, "Evelyn? Are you ok??"
I love how Hong Kong is almost en route from the US to Singapore. Perfect. Many more little trips to come, I hope!
Well, a few pictures before these get stale ...
You tiao v1
You tiao v2 (I'm not even sure what these are called, but they're legendary and pretty awesome when wrapped in the cheong fun skin)
Century egg porridge for breakfast, mm. Remember the fear factor episode where everyone was barfing over the century eggs? Heehee. This always holds true: the grossest-looking little roadside stalls have the best congee.
Fresh cooked beef tongue, anyone? Amazing Japanese restaurant by Victoria harbour that served food tapas style ... am I very swaku for never having been to a Japanese restaurant like that?? We got a table-ful of amazing food, including DIY beef tongue, DIY potato salad, and DIY scrambled egg katsu. Heehee fun.
View from the hotel room and I. Hello, Hong Kong.
Fiew from outside the hotel. Hello, Hong Kong.
Heritage walk in an old Chinese village. 60% fabulously interesting, 40% didn't-we-just-see-a-temple-that-looks-exactly-the-same-as-this-one-oh-lordy-save-me-I'm-so-sweaty-I-need-an-icecream-now.
The light show at Victoria harbour, which was hilarious in its extreme underwhelming-ness. For real. We were screeching with laughter/disbelief the whole way through. It made a pretty picture, though! Skyline by night.
And by day. This was my second time on the peak. Love the tram ride up, which was so steep that even my brain couldn't figure it out and all the buildings looked like they were about to tip over.
There was much to do in 2.5 days. It went something like this chronologically: coffee, dim sum, street market, desserts, shopping, coffee and toast, zzz as the others partied, congee, coffee, heritage walk, snacktime, naptime, harbour, Japanese food, wine, SYTYCD, zzz, peak, dimsum, almost missed my flight, but made it HOME to a waving Mummy & Daddy at the airport! What a welcome sight :)
12 July, 2011
*1044 - however,
I am now floating in the limbo of neither truly belonging here anymore nor ever truly belonging there. So, what really is the resolution?
Also, three weeks is not enough.
Also, three weeks is not enough.
08 July, 2011
*1043 - funny bunny punny munny
Lil Evie: yello jello!
Big Evie: hello ello mellow fellow ...
Lil Evie: is the name of the bar
Big Evie: OH
Big Evie: i thought it was your greeting
Big Evie: hahahaha
Big Evie: hello ello mellow fellow ...
Lil Evie: is the name of the bar
Big Evie: OH
Big Evie: i thought it was your greeting
Big Evie: hahahaha
*1042 - not numb
You would think that I might be numbed by now, after all these years.
But each time, it gets harder and harder to leave home. What is it about that continent half a world away that is keeping me so far from my family, my friends here, and the comforts of home?
But each time, it gets harder and harder to leave home. What is it about that continent half a world away that is keeping me so far from my family, my friends here, and the comforts of home?
05 July, 2011
*1041 - culinary adventure
Yet another one of my culinary adventures, this time involving a lot of apprehension, screeching, watching youtube videos and rushing about googling facts about ...
... cooking live lobsters.
:O
Hai there, mister lobster.
This is what we learnt by the end of the ordeal: to keep live lobsters live for a couple of hours in the absence of sea water, tuck them into your veggie cooler with a bunch of ice cubes and a wet towel over them.
Value for money, deliciously fresh, PLUS a great deal of entertainment (and panic attacks). Loved it.
... cooking live lobsters.
:O
Hai there, mister lobster.
This is what we learnt by the end of the ordeal: to keep live lobsters live for a couple of hours in the absence of sea water, tuck them into your veggie cooler with a bunch of ice cubes and a wet towel over them.
Value for money, deliciously fresh, PLUS a great deal of entertainment (and panic attacks). Loved it.
03 July, 2011
*1040 - barbie #1
The barbie was another one of those joyous "SUMMER IS HERE AHAHAAHHA" milestones, except that it turned out to be so chilly that we all ended up decked most fashionably in D's clothing for extra warmth.
A truly beautiful grill:
Is he a giant, or is she just really little? An unintended camera trick, I guess.
And this is what happens when men get drunk and their hunger-gatherer instincts erupt: they forage through the neighbourbood for dry branches, smash wooden cupboards over their heads to create firewood, use our adorable Spongebob plates as fuel, and even offer up their precious Maxim's to get a glorious bonfire going.
It really was glorious, and we burned everything burnable in the house that night, and more.
Spongebob burns in hell!!! :(
That night, we trudged home smelling strongly of smoked meat (for the next two days), eyes bloodshot from the soot, leg hairs singed to a crisp, vowing never to host a BBQ ever again ... and promptly planned for another one the very next day--which is due to happen next week! :)
A truly beautiful grill:
Is he a giant, or is she just really little? An unintended camera trick, I guess.
And this is what happens when men get drunk and their hunger-gatherer instincts erupt: they forage through the neighbourbood for dry branches, smash wooden cupboards over their heads to create firewood, use our adorable Spongebob plates as fuel, and even offer up their precious Maxim's to get a glorious bonfire going.
It really was glorious, and we burned everything burnable in the house that night, and more.
Spongebob burns in hell!!! :(
That night, we trudged home smelling strongly of smoked meat (for the next two days), eyes bloodshot from the soot, leg hairs singed to a crisp, vowing never to host a BBQ ever again ... and promptly planned for another one the very next day--which is due to happen next week! :)
02 July, 2011
*1039 - evidence
This is evidence of my sophisticated culinary skills:
Wrapping my hand in a plastic bag while chopping garlic to keep out the lingering stench (anyone who has chopped raw garlic should know what I'm talking about).
Wrapping my hand in a plastic bag while chopping garlic to keep out the lingering stench (anyone who has chopped raw garlic should know what I'm talking about).
*1038 - two + one discoveries last night
New Singaporean-ism #1 discovered last night: green tea whiskey. Verdict: kind of nasty, but after coddling the waiter into adding more green tea into our drink, almost acceptable.
New Singaporean-ism #2 discovered last night: a person projectile vomiting can be referred to as a "merlion". Used in a sentence: (tap on shoulder, gesture at friend bent over the bushes) "Eh wait, behind got merlion." Verdict: very nasty.
Non-Singaporean-ism discovery of a discovery last night: a mild horror story involving a particular drawer in my apartment. Verdict: (speechless, wildly amused)
New Singaporean-ism #2 discovered last night: a person projectile vomiting can be referred to as a "merlion". Used in a sentence: (tap on shoulder, gesture at friend bent over the bushes) "Eh wait, behind got merlion." Verdict: very nasty.
Non-Singaporean-ism discovery of a discovery last night: a mild horror story involving a particular drawer in my apartment. Verdict: (speechless, wildly amused)
30 June, 2011
*1037 - marvels
I haven't uploaded pictures on FB in a century or so (well, about a year) and am now marvelling at the technology that is face recognition. Wow?
*1036 - one summery night and one summery day
This is what we did one summery night:
Make (for me) / eat (for me and him) my homemade meatballs on my patio. First attempt involving a splash of every herb I could lay my hands on (in my kitchen, this means a LOT) and turning out absolutely DEElicious.
And this is what we did one summery day:
Sat out on a patio eating sandwiches and grilled fish and drinking nicely chilled beers, watching a hostess turning pinker and sweatier and increasingly flustered in the heat, planning for a very welcome visit the next week, enjoying the fact that we could sit back, kick our shoes off, enjoy the sun, enjoy the long weekend, enjoy each other.
And then wandered in the direction of frozen custards, got a s'mores-flavoured scoop in a chocolate cone, shared it with two little spoons, and walked home all sticky and happy.
Make (for me) / eat (for me and him) my homemade meatballs on my patio. First attempt involving a splash of every herb I could lay my hands on (in my kitchen, this means a LOT) and turning out absolutely DEElicious.
And this is what we did one summery day:
Sat out on a patio eating sandwiches and grilled fish and drinking nicely chilled beers, watching a hostess turning pinker and sweatier and increasingly flustered in the heat, planning for a very welcome visit the next week, enjoying the fact that we could sit back, kick our shoes off, enjoy the sun, enjoy the long weekend, enjoy each other.
And then wandered in the direction of frozen custards, got a s'mores-flavoured scoop in a chocolate cone, shared it with two little spoons, and walked home all sticky and happy.
28 June, 2011
*1035 - VERY IMPORTANTLY
INCOHERENT FROM TIREDNESS
ABOUT TO TUMBLE OUT OF CHAIR
BUT FIRST!
I NEED TO DECLARE MY LOVE
FOR ...
Char siew sou!
And egg tarts.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Dimsum in Hong Kong, yeahhh. Love it love it love it.
ABOUT TO TUMBLE OUT OF CHAIR
BUT FIRST!
I NEED TO DECLARE MY LOVE
FOR ...
Char siew sou!
And egg tarts.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Dimsum in Hong Kong, yeahhh. Love it love it love it.
27 June, 2011
*1034 - and, home
Very nice, and oddly normal, to be home.
Friends, tell me your #'s, and tell me if you want to hang out :)
Friends, tell me your #'s, and tell me if you want to hang out :)
21 June, 2011
*1033 - the first leg
While I could have much more quickly done this through the 3G network on my phone, here's proof that this bus has free and functional wifi, in addition to its comfy seats, stunning emptiness (10 of us, at most), an adorable driver who comes round offering bottles of water, and negligible cost of $15 per ticket from Boston to New York. How is that not a bargain?
This marks the first leg of my little vacay that is sucking up more than half my days off for the year--two days in NYC, three in Hong Kong, and three weeks at home. Awaiting happy reunions with friends and family in each of the above three. Being away (sadly so) makes one appreciate people better.
On the agenda,
... Walking the familiar streets (and smelling the familiar subway stench heh heh) of NYC
... Some last minute shopping, unless I restrain myself
... Portuguese egg tarts, vegetarian Buddhist meals, and dim sum
... Being in Vienna when actually in Macau
... My customary chilli crab family welcome dinner
... A haircut by Asians who actually know how to cut Asian hair (and perhaps my usual reddish tint, though that might mean being mildly matchy matchy with the redhead)
... Facial, eyebrows, all that good stuff
... Regular swims (and none of that silly indoor swimming pool at the gym nonsense)
... Roasting at the beach by day and sipping sangrias at the shore by night
... Fancy lunches and hawker dinners
... Tooty frooty party plans in the making (hint: a FB event needs to be created ASAP)
... Wine, cheese, fruit under the stars (sounds like an atas family tradition, but really, we're just sitting around in our PJ's on the roof getting mildly sticky from the humidity)
... Attempting to play the same songs on the piano that I attempt to play during each short trip home
... Live music at outdoor bars by the river
... Perhaps taking advantage of the offer of an express Universal Studios pass ... Hmm ...
... Cooking and baking and making the family plump with the goodness of EV's home cooked delights
... Laska and hokkien mee and chicken rice and char kuay teow and prata and baby kailan and har cheong gai and mee sua and yong tau foo and ban mian and omgomgomggomgg the list goes on how to eat so many things in such little time?! Who wants to go hawker centre-ing with me?
... And besides all the food, simply: to see all of you who matter.
The last point is the most important one, and really is the only reason for my trip home.
Home home home.
It's nice to be able to say that I'm finally returning home. Home is not a word I would use for anywhere else.
Yup. Home.
This marks the first leg of my little vacay that is sucking up more than half my days off for the year--two days in NYC, three in Hong Kong, and three weeks at home. Awaiting happy reunions with friends and family in each of the above three. Being away (sadly so) makes one appreciate people better.
On the agenda,
... Walking the familiar streets (and smelling the familiar subway stench heh heh) of NYC
... Some last minute shopping, unless I restrain myself
... Portuguese egg tarts, vegetarian Buddhist meals, and dim sum
... Being in Vienna when actually in Macau
... My customary chilli crab family welcome dinner
... A haircut by Asians who actually know how to cut Asian hair (and perhaps my usual reddish tint, though that might mean being mildly matchy matchy with the redhead)
... Facial, eyebrows, all that good stuff
... Regular swims (and none of that silly indoor swimming pool at the gym nonsense)
... Roasting at the beach by day and sipping sangrias at the shore by night
... Fancy lunches and hawker dinners
... Tooty frooty party plans in the making (hint: a FB event needs to be created ASAP)
... Wine, cheese, fruit under the stars (sounds like an atas family tradition, but really, we're just sitting around in our PJ's on the roof getting mildly sticky from the humidity)
... Attempting to play the same songs on the piano that I attempt to play during each short trip home
... Live music at outdoor bars by the river
... Perhaps taking advantage of the offer of an express Universal Studios pass ... Hmm ...
... Cooking and baking and making the family plump with the goodness of EV's home cooked delights
... Laska and hokkien mee and chicken rice and char kuay teow and prata and baby kailan and har cheong gai and mee sua and yong tau foo and ban mian and omgomgomggomgg the list goes on how to eat so many things in such little time?! Who wants to go hawker centre-ing with me?
... And besides all the food, simply: to see all of you who matter.
The last point is the most important one, and really is the only reason for my trip home.
Home home home.
It's nice to be able to say that I'm finally returning home. Home is not a word I would use for anywhere else.
Yup. Home.
18 June, 2011
*1032 - will be back
I know I have become boring of late in this little virtual space, which often reflects the inverse of the interestingness of my actual life. Life continues to be fascinatingly interesting, and (sadly often a correlation to that is for it to be ...) overwhelmingly tiring, but at least the reasons for the tiredness are good, happy reasons.
5 minute breather over, time to head out!
5 minute breather over, time to head out!
15 June, 2011
*1031 - foreign
Singapore and foreign talent.
The influx of foreign workers may feel unsettling to some, but I do think we will be at a disadvantage without.
The influx of foreign workers may feel unsettling to some, but I do think we will be at a disadvantage without.
12 June, 2011
*1030 - merely pretty
A trip to the Museum of Fine Art unearthed a few pretty things, but nothing much more than that. I don't mean to put down the museum, but Iris and I left having gained less than we had hoped for. Not my favourite for sure, but then, I've always been partial instead to modern art ...
Images from the Chihuly exhibition: extravagant, pretty, large, eye-catching.
But my favourite painting of the night ... "I paint the white as well as the black, and the white is just as important." Franz Kline. Just brilliant. Love it.
Images from the Chihuly exhibition: extravagant, pretty, large, eye-catching.
But my favourite painting of the night ... "I paint the white as well as the black, and the white is just as important." Franz Kline. Just brilliant. Love it.
01 June, 2011
*1029 - tornado watch
The colleagues scared me silly today by announcing that there was a "tornado watch" in the area. Being Singaporean, the closest thing to a natural disaster we get are heavy monsoon rains which (rarely) result in flooded shopping malls, soggily destroyed businesses :(, and citizens angry at the government for wussy drainage. So, pretty ignorant there.
I was all ready to dive under my desk for maximum shelter, saved my work obsessively (why, what could be worse than getting wiped out by a tornado AND losing the monster of the file I had been slaving over?), and had a minor flip out moment when I realised I had left my sun roof tilted. Sped out to save poor little yellow bug, only to discover there wasn't even a drizzle in the clouds, though the air strangely warm and heavy and yellow, and I was absolutely positive that Harold Camping had been 11 days early in his predictions.
But thank God for keeping us safe from the wreck that the tornado caused just a little bit further West.
I was all ready to dive under my desk for maximum shelter, saved my work obsessively (why, what could be worse than getting wiped out by a tornado AND losing the monster of the file I had been slaving over?), and had a minor flip out moment when I realised I had left my sun roof tilted. Sped out to save poor little yellow bug, only to discover there wasn't even a drizzle in the clouds, though the air strangely warm and heavy and yellow, and I was absolutely positive that Harold Camping had been 11 days early in his predictions.
But thank God for keeping us safe from the wreck that the tornado caused just a little bit further West.
*1028 - wanna be a millionaire?
Country with the highest proportion of millionaires: ...
Singapore is number one at 15.5%. (The United States is seventh at 4.5%.)
Singapore is number one at 15.5%. (The United States is seventh at 4.5%.)
31 May, 2011
*1027 - adventures of pocahontas, the alpaca
Meet Pocahontas, the alpaca.
He is a privileged alpaca, a worldly traveler, hailing from Peru, and gracing us with his company on a road trip up to Maine.
He enjoys a good glass of Rosa Regale.
And sits poised against the beautiful Ogunquit backdrop.
He also gets soggy with us in the hot tub, watches as we skip stones by the beach, hurtles down slides in playgrounds--adventures that no common alpaca dares to dream of.
-
The adorable B&B with a quiet owner who didn't really match its adorableness (not in a bad way, we just expected him to be more frilly and cute like the B&B)
Mist in Maine
That comes and goes
Nutella and mint ice cream in the cold, by the bay
Birthday Dom Perignon
Aforementioned hot tub, at midnight, in the drizzle
And aforementioned skipping of stones
:)
He is a privileged alpaca, a worldly traveler, hailing from Peru, and gracing us with his company on a road trip up to Maine.
He enjoys a good glass of Rosa Regale.
And sits poised against the beautiful Ogunquit backdrop.
He also gets soggy with us in the hot tub, watches as we skip stones by the beach, hurtles down slides in playgrounds--adventures that no common alpaca dares to dream of.
-
The adorable B&B with a quiet owner who didn't really match its adorableness (not in a bad way, we just expected him to be more frilly and cute like the B&B)
Mist in Maine
That comes and goes
Nutella and mint ice cream in the cold, by the bay
Birthday Dom Perignon
Aforementioned hot tub, at midnight, in the drizzle
And aforementioned skipping of stones
:)
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