Tec Troubles

This is Andrew the Irish minority here in Singapore. Today i have been the object of prolonged blank stares and had school kids call me "the ugly American" in the swimming pool. So i confronted them and they cried "stranger danger" and swam away.

[This is Nathan pointing out our destination on the board.]

We have been having some serious tech troubles to list a few: upon arriving at the house we are staying at Mr. Lee fried the computer cord, Dan lost the memory card to his camera (most of the pictures on it were of the hamster Monty -- so it wasn't too much of a loss), we had headphones break, Nathan fell into a ditch on the side of the road while video taping and the camcorder took the brunt of the fall and is now in disrepair.

[One of the many shops in the food court underneath the electronics mall. Fuel!!]

We are having a great time here and the food is so good. We spent most of the day today downtown looking for electronics and then went to a friends house (who is a assistant dean at a college - the national university of singapore). It's our second day here and already it seems like we have been here a long time.

quips

Sixteen minutes left on our internet cafe clock, Dan taking over now. (Andrew is on other computer checking email.) Time allows very brief snapshots of our trip so far. Which is what I will offer. Not conveniently, this computer keeps switching my keys around...y is z and z is y, for instance. It is slightlz frustrating.

@airports:
- peanut butter got confiscated. Mom not too pleased. Family vetoed decision to reclaim peanut butter for checked baggage.
Andrew: "Watch us on the last day, being like WE NEED PEANUT BUTTER."

- hungry. Mom sees McDonald's logo outside our gate. Five famished family members walk around airport forever. Just before giving up Davina and I spot some punk dude with emo bangs looking at us curiously. Punk dude is holding McDonald's coffee. Mom spots him a second later and screams excitedly "WHERE IS THE MCDONALD'S"? Dude grins and points at McDonald's less than 100 yards away. Hash browns, Egg McMuffins, and McGriddles (glory glory hallelujah) In total, forty-five minutes.

Newly-arrived lady overheard back at our gate: "I'm going to swing by McDonalds."

@airplane:
- movies watched (on demand): Dan In Real Life, Penelope, The Island, Hercules, Emperor's New Groove. Cathay Pacific's economy class was incredibly luxurious -- wait for the photos!

- airplane food was also amazing. for lunch, chicken rice w/ steamed vegetables; potato salad with smoked salmon; nougat mousse; hot rolls. for dinner, pork roast with potatoes and mustard-mushroom gravy; fruit salad; cake with raspberry sauce. Tim Tams in great supply!

time running out severely. five minutes, and the kezs on thia kezboard are periouply going WAXK. we'll have pictures soon!

cheers & stay cool,
Dan

PS. Disregard the time, it is early afternoon over here! Pretty sure we are twelve hours ahead of America.

arrival

We seem to have lost a day. It is now Thursday morning (Wednesday night for all of you) - and that means we were traveling for about 28 hours. Thanks to sleep planning, none of us are experiencing jet lag at all!

Unfortunately, trials have arisen. The power cable to the laptop was shocked to death after we short-circuited the entire apartment suite(and the laptop ended up dying - it was apparently left on during one of the flights) - so we are currently in an internet "cafe" inside one of the community center, and I have 43 minutes left to write this post. Talk about pressure. It's not free either - $1.50 per hour. So we're going to have to make every minute count.

[34 minutes]

(finding this picture cost us about two minutes)

When we exited the airport, the humidity fell upon us as one falls upon delectable strawberry cheesecake. It also was as thick as delectable strawberry cheesecake. In such manner that one can barely breathe (as in it takes one's breath away. Literally.). You could even cut it with a knife and it would close back up immediately. (This also from experience.)

[23 minutes]

We have photos, but unfortunately the majority of these are on the now-dead laptop and cannot be accessed at this time. Stay tuned, though - we will find ways to overcome such adversity!

[19 minutes]

Okay, getting off - catch you all later, hopefully somewhere with less pressure! (coming up with this sentence cost us about three minutes)

everything's smaller in singapore

Good evening, friends! With hours left before our departure, I figured I'd share with you all a small taste of what our life is about to become. I have titled this list "realistic expectations" in honor of the mini-lecture my mom delivered a few days before packing went insane.

Realistic Expectations:
1. The journey. We're up at 7 tomorrow and heading to Philly Int'l to catch our plane at 10 -- embarking on a 21+ hour trip, with a less-than-45-minute transfer in Hong Kong that will have us literally running through the airport. Then factor in carry-ons, customs, security, delays, hunger, and bathroom breaks...ahh, the world of travel.

+ read on!2. The accomodations. Our benevolent Aunt Serene, with whom we will be sharing the flat - along with two of her children, my grandparents, and a maid - kindly informs us that the rooms are tiny. As in, very very small. Roll-up-and-put-your-bed-away-every-day small.

But this is not a huge problem. It will be like living in a tent. An insulated, air-conditioned tent a few hundred yards in the sky with clotheslines running out the windows. Really not a bad deal!

3. The laundry. The washing machine in the flat, we are told, will only accommodate a load comprised of, say, one shirt from each person. Seven shirts, my friends, is one load. As a result, Mom announces we will need to wash one dark and one light load every single day. Yes, every outfit must be washed every day if at all possible, as sweat does not make for particularly charming society, neither here nor in Singapore (even if it is the norm).

There is the small problem of sharing the washing machine with the other 6+ occupants of our flat, however. Never fear, Mom has it all under control. "We have another option," she points out. "If we have to, we can load our stuff into a small suitcase, haul it across the country, and go to the mall." Because apparently, all the laundromats are in the mall. (Mom assures us this is our last-ditch emergency solution.)

4. The density of our schedule. Aside from our obligatory sightseeing itinerary -- an exploration of, among other things, the local flora and fauna -- there is a wealth of Family to account for. Dad's seven siblings have produced upwards of 14 cousins. Mom's Dad is going to be in town. And both Mom and Dad's distant relatives in total could populate a small Asian country. (Oh, wait...) Boredom will be the very last of our worries! Now, downtime, on the other hand...

5. The food. There are food courts literally all over the nation, called hawker centers. These sell cheap, cheap, lovely cheap food. Really really good cheap food, too, like you wouldn't believe. We'll have pictures so you can all see the delicious stuff you're missing out on.

But money is never to be squandered, even in small increments. Mom has decided that we "will all cook a meal at least once" for thirteen in the flat. Not entirely bad, except for The Catch: like many Singapore homes, this one has NO OVEN - bad news for baker-chefs like myself. Stay tuned for some inevitable interesting news about this.

On another note, we will also benefit from the kindness of friends and relatives, who we are told will be willing and eager to take us out for meals. Thank God for family & friends! :)

6. The weather. We are going to be practically on the Equator. Enough said.

Oh, and the rain. It's either skin-scorchingly hot or raining. Or at times, both.

--
So. With less than ... twelve hours to go, we'd love prayer for peace and strength to get everything done that needs getting done, and for safety as we embark overseas. Also, please pray for Dad, as the leader and family ambassador; and for Mom and the pressure she will be under as our administrator-in-chief and gift-distributor.

Cheers & stay cool,
Dan

welcome

The house is alive. We're listening to Christmas songs (to get us in the mood), and I realize that I am being called away from the laptop every thirty seconds - so many issues arising (and being quenched) in a mere matter of minutes.

To give a live example: "NATHAN COME AND EAT YOUR RAMEN!"

So while I am eating my ramen (credits http://twobites.files.wordpress.com), I will introduce this blog.

This blog is
a living, dynamic, moving, active, changing collection
of stories, thoughts, conversations, links, commentaries, and adventures
through the media of images, videos, and text.

We are going to a small island in the southeast Asian Pacific known as Singapore. Singapore is located only four degrees north of the equator. This means it is very hot there. It also means that it is very humid there. The average high is 87 degrees Fahrenheit - but it feels like the high 90s. Yuck.

Singapore is also known for other various things, such as a chewing gum ban, an extremely low crime rate, and great food! (Interestingly enough, the crime rate report lists Philadelphia for comparison purposes at the top of the crime chart. Yeah living in the city! heehee)

We will be departing the country sometime on Tuesday morning. A somewhat 24-hour trip will get us near Hong Kong, which is only an hour or so away from Singapore. By the time we reach the other side of the world, we will not only be suffering from jet lag (for the next few days), we will also be struck with a climate change (heat wave).

We have a lot of family there. Dad has five or six siblings, and so we have about fifteen or so cousins. Good times!!

Dan, Andrew, Jeremy, and myself will be taking the main responsibility for the blog during the trip (we'll leave the trip planning to the parents). We'll be armed with cameras, video recorders, pens, and will be hoping to find adventure everywhere we look. Of course, at times the blog may degenerate into the latest happenings of the most recent Chinese soap opera - but we pray that will not happen... too often.

Comments are highly welcome and encouraged!!! we may or may not get back to you, but we'll do what we can. Please be praying for us that we would be able to witness to our family there and that whatever we do, we'll grow closer to Christ and continue to glorify him!