Now that I've settled into life in Singapore, it's easy to get lulled into the belief that the notoriously strict government isn't as tough as its reputation.
A thoughtless smoker, who was hit with a $15,000 fine for littering, found out the hard way that the police can be quite serious.
Check out the article.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Saturday, January 17, 2015
A Sunday Morning Miracle
I must be in an episode of the Twilight Zone.
Singapore is hot, really hot, and humid, really humid. If I could change anything about Singapore, the weather would be at the top of my list.
This is the perspective of a man who grew up in Tennessee, a state in America where summer temperatures rise to 100 degrees Fahrenheit/37 degrees Celsius, and the humidity level frequently reaches 100%.
The difference in America is that such weather occurs for only three months, and then the gloriously-refreshing, cool autumn temperatures arrive. In Singapore, the weather never changes with one hot/humid day leading into the next.
It's the Singaporean equivalent of Bill Murray's winter-weather forecast in the movie Groundhog Day. Just replace the words "cold" and "gray" in his dialogue with "hot" and "humid" and you've got a snapshot of Singapore's weather in perpetuity.
But this morning something miraculous happened. I awoke and actually felt chilly, chilly enough to consider the possibility of putting on a windbreaker.
Surely there must be a reason.
I checked to see if the air conditioner had flipped on spontaneously. Nope.
Perhaps, I was running an extreme temperature and was delirious. Nope.
I'll never know the cause, and the feeling has long since passed now that the 9 a.m. sun has heated up the temperature to 80 degrees.
Soon, I'll once again be drenched in sweat, but at least for a few fleeting moments, I escaped the oppressive tropical heat, if only in my imagination.
A New School Year Begins
Teachers certainly won't get rich, but the other perks can't be beat, such as having a month off for the Christmas holidays.
In addition to my trip to Myanmar, I flew back to America to celebrate with my loved ones and friends. I couldn't have asked for a better vacation and felt a bit dejected as I said goodbye, especially knowing that another horror flight awaited.
I love to travel, but the body never seems to appreciate 10,000-mile jaunts. I've tried everything to minimize jet lag to no avail. Recently, a friend told me he's found a solution - quasi-legal sleeping pills he managed to obtain in Cambodia. He said he takes one after boarding and is comatose most of the flight. I'm not a fan of sleeping pills, but they are a bit tempting when I'm struggling hour after hour on a plane hoping for even a few minutes of rest.
Over the last week and a half, I'm finally beginning to conquer the jet leg and also get readjusted to a tropical climate. On the return flight, I left the 20-degree temperatures of Atlanta and 25 hours later landed in Singapore, where it was in the 80s.
Unlike America, the calendar at my school runs from January 1 to December 31, meaning we are beginning a new academic year, which has its share of challenges, but the kids are a delight.
One of my favorite aspects of the student body is the great diversity. Being an international school, we attract students from all over the world. Currently, almost 50 nations are represented.
Last term, we did an experiment in one of my classes, asking the kids where they were born. The class contained 21 kids from 8 different nations, including China, England, Indonesia, Mexico, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. You might think that could lead to friction when the class discussion turns to certain geopolitical topics, but
the students seem quite respectful of differing viewpoints.
As the new year unfolds, I've already made a couple of resolutions - one is to maintain my blog more consistently and two is to get in better physical condition for a trip I'm taking in April, which I'll write about as the date approaches.
I'm no longer a fan of jogging, but I hike as much as I can, and one of the best places to do it in Singapore is at the MacRitchie Reservoir, a jungle wildlife preserve containing a seven-mile trail that loops around the park.
It's a reminder of what most of Singapore looked like back in the 19-century
before the jungle was cleared in the name of progress.
But visitors have to be alert because where there is jungle
There are jungle creatures.
That's it from Singapore because this jungle creature is worn out from his long jungle hike.
In addition to my trip to Myanmar, I flew back to America to celebrate with my loved ones and friends. I couldn't have asked for a better vacation and felt a bit dejected as I said goodbye, especially knowing that another horror flight awaited.
I love to travel, but the body never seems to appreciate 10,000-mile jaunts. I've tried everything to minimize jet lag to no avail. Recently, a friend told me he's found a solution - quasi-legal sleeping pills he managed to obtain in Cambodia. He said he takes one after boarding and is comatose most of the flight. I'm not a fan of sleeping pills, but they are a bit tempting when I'm struggling hour after hour on a plane hoping for even a few minutes of rest.
Over the last week and a half, I'm finally beginning to conquer the jet leg and also get readjusted to a tropical climate. On the return flight, I left the 20-degree temperatures of Atlanta and 25 hours later landed in Singapore, where it was in the 80s.
Unlike America, the calendar at my school runs from January 1 to December 31, meaning we are beginning a new academic year, which has its share of challenges, but the kids are a delight.
One of my favorite aspects of the student body is the great diversity. Being an international school, we attract students from all over the world. Currently, almost 50 nations are represented.
Last term, we did an experiment in one of my classes, asking the kids where they were born. The class contained 21 kids from 8 different nations, including China, England, Indonesia, Mexico, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. You might think that could lead to friction when the class discussion turns to certain geopolitical topics, but
the students seem quite respectful of differing viewpoints.
As the new year unfolds, I've already made a couple of resolutions - one is to maintain my blog more consistently and two is to get in better physical condition for a trip I'm taking in April, which I'll write about as the date approaches.
I'm no longer a fan of jogging, but I hike as much as I can, and one of the best places to do it in Singapore is at the MacRitchie Reservoir, a jungle wildlife preserve containing a seven-mile trail that loops around the park.
It's a reminder of what most of Singapore looked like back in the 19-century
before the jungle was cleared in the name of progress.
But visitors have to be alert because where there is jungle
There are jungle creatures.
That's it from Singapore because this jungle creature is worn out from his long jungle hike.
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